


The Courier and the Corpse

by Sketchydoodles



Category: Magic: The Gathering (Card Game)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Canon Relationships, Gen, Illustrations, Near Death Experiences, Original Character(s), POV Third Person Limited, Ravnica (Magic: The Gathering), always tip, boar riding, book shopping, crushes on izzet gals, if in doubt use lightning, madcap adventures, pavla has no idea that planeswalkers are a thing, planeswalkers and pastries, undercity guides, unexpected teleportation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-02
Updated: 2019-11-24
Packaged: 2021-01-20 20:30:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 89,962
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21287729
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sketchydoodles/pseuds/Sketchydoodles
Summary: Pavla is one of Ravnica's many couriers, the high spires and rooftops her roads across the city. She stumbles across a mysterious body and, arrested as a suspected murderer, embarks on a quest to prove her innocence and find out the truth. Shenanigans ensue.(This story is written so as to sit within the canon between Project Lightning Bug and Battle for Zendikar. It is a complete work, posted episodically with the odd illustration)
Comments: 9
Kudos: 18





	1. The Body

Across the multiverse are many distinct worlds. Most beings will never know of, let alone see them; but a select few picked by chance, fate, or fortune do. 

There are worlds filled with wild forests and wilder beasts, worlds covered in ice and forbidding mountains, and worlds that no living creature could ever survive on. Then there are the worlds like Ravnica, filled with people. City of high spires, dark corners and winding alleyways, and home to a multitude of races and species. One of the many birds that live high in its reaches could fly from one district to another, over fountains, grand temples, slums and ruins, soaring over the bustling crowds and through huge, ancient trees, taking several weeks to traverse the whole place. A human would take far longer, unless they knew the way.

Pavla was one of those who knew just that - a courier who ran the paths across the rooftops, making her living delivering, if she was honest, mostly other people’s secrets. The kind of job that paid well, but often ended in her having to use her twin daggers more often than a person might like - secrets were a valuable currency to some.

Today she skirted the rooftops with ease, the sky above her tinged with pink as evening fell. She’d grown up climbing these buildings and the rooftops often felt more like home than any room ever could. Each brick and tile under her leather boots was a comfort; up here she was safe. 

She could outrun most anyone up high. She knew every secret shortcut, every loose tile and handy ledge. Pursuers always tried and failed to keep up. It wouldn’t stop new fools chasing her, but each one that ended up hanging off a drainpipe by his arse helped her reputation as a courier, so she supposed that perhaps she should be grateful. 

This job was routine, like most. One rich lady sharing her weekly gossip with another. Less chance of a chase and high pay; the best kind of contract. Pavla supposed she’d admit, deep down, that she liked the chases. The feel of outrunning and outwitting a dumb pursuer was a rush. But there was always the chance that she’d meet someone faster and smarter one day - perhaps one of the rarely seen vampires of the city - and she was rather attached to life, so jobs for rich ladies it was. 

She crested a rooftop and admired the view. High, intricately carved spires rose around her. She could see the huge mansions of Ovitzia in the distance, see a glimmer of water off to the west and hear the last shouts and murmurs of a market behind her. A good rooftop courier paid attention to her ears, as well as her eyes and feet.

She slid down the tiles, leaping from one ledge to another and landing in the cobbled street. It was quiet - this was home to people who weren’t looking for trouble - and there was a water fountain just around the corner where she could refill her canteen. After that, it was just a short jaunt to her destination. An easy job. 

Of course, that was when the corpse appeared. 

***

A body shouldn’t appear out of thin air. Well, alright, perhaps it happens on the odd occasion that an Izzet experiment goes horribly awry, but not like this. For a start, it wasn’t any kind of body she’d ever seen before. 

The person was short, shorter than a human, but built differently. Pavla had seen people born smaller than the average and this wasn’t the same. Stocky, and with a luxurious oiled beard, they lay on the street in front of her, curled around something held tight in their hands, a blade sticking very firmly out of their back. Definitely dead. Carefully, she leant towards the body, peering at their unfamiliar clothing. 

“Halt! What’s going on here?” a voice used to shouting bellowed from behind her. Her heart sank as a patrol of Boros soldiers surrounded her, armour gleaming in the evening light. She was absolutely not going to get paid today. 

“Looks like we caught a murderer in the act, boys!” The Sergeant shot her a triumphant look and pointed a finger inches from the courier’s nose. “Hands where we can see them.” 

Pavla sighed. Trying to argue with this woman wasn’t going to get her anywhere. She knew the type. Fervent Boros soldiers, happy for any kind of exciting crime they could thwart. She glumly offered her wrists for the chains they clamped on them. Hopefully she could get this all sorted out in the guardhouse and just take a hit on the job’s pay. Offer the client a discount. It was just a gossip delivery after all.

***

Giving plenty of time for the fuss to die down and the courier to be dragged away, a slight figure appeared at a window, looking down at the crime scene, which was still being guarded by several Boros constables. He frowned, tapping the apparatus strapped to his arm thoughtfully. Not quite what he’d expected to find.

***

The guardhouse lieutenant stroked his greying muzzle, pulled a face Pavla hadn’t even been aware a minotaur was capable of when she told her story, and left her locked in the cells until he knew what to do with her. As night fell, sleep did not come easy. The ‘bed’ was mostly rock and a thin sad blanket, and all she could think about was the strange curling metallic decoration on the body. It seemed like something the nobility would enjoy, but the body she’d seen hadn’t looked like someone used to a soft life. 

She sighed and scratched at the walls with a stone, trying to recall the patterns. A goblin was dragged past her cell and thrown into one further down, jabbering about his rights. The city outside buzzed quietly, never wanting to truly fall asleep. Eventually, her eyes couldn’t stay open and she drifted off to dream about swirling patterns and a large, deadly knife. 

***

She was rudely awoken by the cell door slamming open and looked up blearily at a woman dressed in the blue and silver of the Azorius. Somewhere in her sleep addled mind she supposed this made sense - anything too weird for the Boros would probably be handed off to someone more used to dealing with quirks in the rules. But then panic took hold - did this mean she was really being jailed for murder? Why else would an Azorius Arrester be called if not to do their job and arrest her? “I didn’t kill him!” she blurted out. “Interrogate me all you like - it’s the truth!”

The Arrester raised her eyebrow. “Lively one, aren’t you?” She turned her back, cape sweeping as she walked back out into the corridor. “Follow me.” Magic flared around Pavla’s wrists - an Azorius enchantment far stronger than the chains from earlier. She dragged herself up from the floor and followed the blue cloak, right into an armoured transport that sat outside the guardhouse. She hunched into a corner, arms around her knees, and watched the Arrester warily as she sat nonchalantly opposite. The door slammed and the transport started to move, lurching across the cobblestones.

“Oh calm down,” the other woman said after five straight minutes of scrutiny. “You’re not under arrest.” 

Pavla sighed with relief. 

“_ Yet. _” she added, quirking an eyebrow. The courier’s eyes narrowed. Jokes after a murder seemed a bit too much. The Arrester seemed to give up on her after that reaction, and spent the rest of the journey reading through some paperwork, scribbling notes in margins and rolling her eyes at some unseen offense hidden therein.

They clanked to a halt, and Pavla followed that blue cloak back out into the sunlight, next to an unassuming building in the Azorius style; all curved archways and light stone. The Arrester jerked her head towards a small door, and she followed her through to a bare room, covered in dust sheets and old furniture. Pavla watched her sigh, then go to tap a small ornament left out on a shelf. Suddenly one wall of the room vanished, becoming a worn staircase heading up into darkness. “Come.” she said, her tone brooking no argument.

They trudged upward, Pavla making little sound in her leather and cloth armour, but the Arrester clanking with every step. The runes on the spell encircling her wrists cast enough light for her to see in front of her and avoid tripping on uneven stairs, but she was willing to bet from the familiar way that her detainer was walking the path that she needed no help - this was a route she had trodden many times. The staircase ended in a corridor, its windows part covered in long drapes, allowing some small shafts of light through. Pavla’s fear had diminished again now, replaced by curiosity. She wasn’t sure that this was standard Azorius procedure - they were funny about rules and keeping the place clean was one of them. There was dust floating in the air, piled up against the walls in places. This didn’t seem...right.

The corridor ended in a huge wooden set of doors, made of a heavy wood. The Arrester pushed one of them aside, making no noise. Interesting. Though the rest of the place looked disused, someone had taken the time to oil the doors. Pavla spun to look behind her, half expecting to see another clue - or perhaps an assassin, waiting to strike her down for seeing too much. You heard things, especially late at night in the bars. Things about a guild that was particularly good at removing...problems.

The Arrester stuck her head back around the door. “Are you coming, or gawking?” she snapped. Pavla jumped, then hurried towards the door. As soon as she had stepped through her eyes widened. This… was not what she had expected.

Shelves lined the walls of the room, filled to bursting with books, scrolls and papers. It looked chaotic, but there seemed to be an underlying order - a reason for each tome and trinket to be balanced in its place. Staircases spiralled upwards, allowing access to higher tiers of shelves, and a huge desk filled the middle of the room, also covered in paper. She headed slowly down a wide staircase, where the Arrester was waiting for her impatiently. 

“This isn’t a grand tour, you know,” she said. “Sit.” Pavla sat. Her feet barely brushed the ground. “Now. Tell me about the man you murdered.”

The courier almost fell off her chair, which wouldn't have been a long way down, since it was surrounded by yet more piles of books. “I _ told you! _ ” she yelped. “I didn’t! He just _ appeared _ right out of the air in front of me. Frankly, you should be interviewing the Izzet. Who else does experiments that might do that?” She crossed her arms. “Why does no one believe me?”

“Why would a murderer tell the truth? What were you really doing in that alleyway, Pavla Kozav?”

“I was getting a _ drink of water. _”

“_ Really _.”

“Yes!”

The Arrester tilted her head towards a shadowy corner of the room. “Well?”

“She’s telling the truth.” A hooded figure stepped out of what seemed like thin air. “You know, I think you enjoy playing the bad cop, Lavinia.” She grunted and waved a hand. The enchantment around Pavla’s wrists vanished. She flexed her arms, trying to get the blood flow going again. The figure walked up to the table and regarded her with interest. As far as she could tell in this light, he was a young man with dark hair and eyes that seemed older than the rest of him. He sat down opposite her, pushed his hood back and smiled. A few unruly tufts of hair stuck up wildly from the top of his head. “Nice to meet you. I’m Jace.” The name seemed familiar, but frankly, she’d had an exhausting 24 hours and Pavla didn’t particularly care who she was talking to, so long as it was someone who believed she wasn’t a cold blooded killer.

“And you don’t think I’m a murderer?” she asked warily.

“I know you’re not.” He frowned. “You’re a courier, you only carry light knives for self defense.” Lavinia dutifully produced Pavla’s knives, confiscated when she was arrested, and placed them on the table. “From what I’ve been told the blade in the body was-” He gestured a length of a couple of feet. “-and nothing like the design of yours.”

“Right.” she said, “and he just...appeared. That’s important. Scared the life out of me.”

“Mm.” He gave her a considering look. “You know, I think it’s best if I could see this too.”

“Well, yeah.” That would make her life a lot easier - if someone could just rewind time and get her a witness, she’d be home free by sunset.

“I can... pull the memory from your mind,” he said slowly. “With your permission.”

“What?” Pavla recoiled. She hadn’t heard of anything like this before. It sounded like the rumours of what that hidden tenth guild could do. 

“I’m not Dimir,” he said, as this thought occurred to her. “I don’t belong to any one guild, to be frank.”

Her eyes narrowed. “Are you reading my mind?”

“Honestly, that was written all over your face. It is hard not to pick up on some of your stronger thoughts though. Like someone shouting at me behind a thick door. I’d guess that it’s because you’re still dealing with last night's events. Your average person is easier to block out, on the whole.”

“That’s not a yes or a no.”

He sighed. “I’m _ trying _ not to?”

Pavla tried to make her mind quiet. 

“Hm, that’s a lot better, thanks.” He drew a finger across the table and a map of the alleyway she’d found the body in grew before her eyes in glowing blue lines. “I can pull what you saw and recreate it here, if you let me. It would be incredibly helpful.” A hopeful smile. She sighed. 

“Fine.”

“Alright. Try to picture what you saw at the very forefront of your mind, in as much detail as you can.” 

She shut her eyes. Images flashed before them. The journey in the transport, her night in the cells, the Boros soldiers. The body, in much more detail than she had remembered before. The swirl of the metal patterns. Every hair of beard and fold of cloth. 

Suddenly she was back in the library, staring at the man opposite as blue sparks left his eyes.

He frowned, tapping a finger on his lip as if considering something. With a gesture, the whole grisly scene appeared in front of her again. The body, lying on the road. The blade sticking out of his back. Something faint, clutched in his hands. But this time, it was all transparent, wreathed in a blue glow. She couldn’t help but reach out toward it. “Uh uh uh.” he batted her hand away. “No touching. It’s not a particularly resilient spell.”

“So you’re some kind of mind mage.” She walked around the back of the body. It wasn’t very detailed compared to the front. “I guess that’s useful for investigating this kind of thing.”

He exchanged a look with Lavinia. “Sometimes.” They peered down at the image floating over the table. “I don’t suppose it would have killed you to take a closer look at what he was holding?”

“I got _ arrested _.”

He sighed. “I suppose there was that.”

Lavinia frowned down at the scene. “That clothing.” She and Jace exchanged another look. Pavla started to feel like there was some invisible conversation going on that she wasn’t allowed to be a part of. She didn’t particularly like it.

“Well, if you want to know what he was holding so badly, just go and look yourself,” she huffed. “The Boros probably have the body in lockdown by now.”

“Er, yes. That would be ideal.” He glanced up at Lavinia. She just looked disgruntled. “If the body hadn’t disappeared.”

“What?”

“Boros guards are, after all, much easier to distract with a good brawl than Azorius ones.” He gave her a helpless shrug. “Our evidence vanished, I’m afraid.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She waved a hand at the illusion. “I got arrested over an appearing body that has now vanished? Is this some kind of horrible joke? Dead people should not be moving around!” She paused. “Unless they’re affiliated with the appropriate guilds.”

“Indeed.” He picked up a sheaf of paper from the desk. “The disappearance was hardly magical though. It seems one of the other guilds took interest and decided to...intervene.”

“So? What does this mean for me?”

He shot her a wry look. “It means you’re still assisting with our investigations.”

***

While this meant she couldn’t leave the building, it did at least mean a comfy bed and a hot dinner, albeit with the stern eye of Lavinia on her, daring her to even _ try _ escaping. Jace had vanished into the piles of books, and when she tried to enquire about whether he’d join them to eat, Lavinia just shrugged and said something about him being ‘hopeless’. 

She lay on the small but soft bed she’d been allocated and stared up at the ceiling. Most of the rest of the day had been spent going over every detail that she’d witnessed, over and over again until her brain felt like it might leak out of her ears. This is why you always avoided the Azorius. They were meticulous, and Jace was on another level. She supposed that perhaps he was a special investigator for them, although she hadn’t noticed the guild’s symbol anywhere on his clothing. And he’d _ said _ he wasn’t affiliated with any of them. Maybe a freelancer? 

She sighed and turned over to stare out into the darkness of the room. Hopefully he’d exhausted his questions today at least - she wasn’t sure if she could withstand another round of interrogation. At the very least, she thought as she drifted off to sleep, she’d better get breakfast _ first _. 

***

The next morning she shrugged on the fresh clothes that had been left outside her room overnight, and shuffled out through the corridors towards that main library they’d spent the day in. It seemed the focal point of the place and where she would most likely find someone to point her towards breakfast. 

The morning light was streaming in through the tall, arched windows and she could see the room more clearly - it seemed like someone had pulled some drapes back to allow for better reading. With the extra light she could make out even _ more _ stacks of things - books, of course, but also charters, scrolls, strange objects and floating blue illusions around the place, like the crime scene they’d examined last night. One close by looked like a large part of Ravnica, recreated on a tiny scale, right down to people the size of insects swarming its streets. She recognised it as the area she’d been running before she’d been arrested. 

Another glowing map, further away, looked very unfamiliar. She started to head towards it for a closer look when it vanished. There was a cough. She looked around wildly and finally noticed Jace sitting at the desk, almost hidden behind paperwork. 

He gave her a little wave. “You’re up early. Remembered anything new?”

Pavla groaned, “Please don’t start that again this time of the morning.” Then she frowned and peered at him. “Did you sleep at all?”

He gave a start, and in that movement the dark circles under his eyes that she’d been sure were there seemed to vanish. It must have been a trick of the light. He looked a lot fresher than she felt. “Of course,” he said, a little too fast, “what kind of idiot forgets to sleep?”

“What kind of idiot indeed.” Lavinia walked into the room, lacking full plate armour but still looking ready to arrest anyone who dared flaunt the law in front of her. Pavla made a mental note to be on her best behaviour. A servant followed the Arrester in, depositing several plates of meats, pastries and fruits on what little space remained on the table. Under Lavinia’s watchful gaze Jace reached for something buttery and warm, paused when her eyes narrowed, and added some fruit as a compromise. Pavla took this as an invitation to get stuck in too, cramming as many things as possible into her mouth. It was delicious - all fresh from the markets, and good quality too. 

“Sho-“ she said around her mouthful, “Whatsh the plan for today?”

“Since your memory has proved rather fallible-” Jace said, seemingly unaware of her feelings, “it seems better to go out and investigate in person.”

“_ You _ have plenty of work to do without this distraction.” Lavinia retorted. They locked eyes. A battle of wills appeared to be taking place. In the awkward silence Pavla slipped some apples into her pockets.

Jace was the first to break eye contact. “I’ll send Berrim with you.”

“_ What?” _Lavinia exclaimed. “Absolutely not!”

“I need actual eyes at the scene Lavinia, how else am I supposed to solve this?”

“You’re not a detective, Jace, you have other responsibilities. It’s irksome enough trying to stop you trotting off wherever you like without you starting new investigations right under my nose.”

“You know this is a guild related problem. I have every right to investigate.”

“Not if you’re walking right into danger - what if you get killed? Do we just run another Maze?”

Pavla’s mouth dropped open. “I bloody _ knew _ I recognised you! You’re the Guildpact!”

This promptly killed the argument stone dead. Both Jace and Lavinia looked around at her, one amused, one with an expression that said she was an idiot. “I wondered how long it would take.” Jace smiled. 

“I have been under a _ lot _ of stress, thank you very much,” she grumbled. An inner voice whispered that perhaps you shouldn’t talk to a Guildpact that way, although, frankly, how did you? A living one was unprecedented. And Pavla was guildless, always had been, and her parents had too. She owed nothing to the guilds. But then, she supposed, he was the one fragile little thing keeping her world from being consumed in an all out war for power. A living embodiment of an ancient agreement between all ten guilds to maintain a balance. 

She looked up from her musings. Jace seemed to be waiting for her to finish processing. “So you’re interested in this because the guilds are?”

“Yes. I’d like to avoid as many skirmishes as possible.” He tapped his lip thoughtfully. “And I’d like to know what he was holding, for curiosity’s sake. It might be what the guilds are so interested in.”

“Probably some Izzet invention.” Pavla guessed. Jace just looked contemplative, saying nothing. “Well. Who do _ you _ think could have got to it first?” she asked, trying to find out exactly where she might be heading, now she’d been pressed into service. 

“Well since not just the item but also the body went missing, I’d rank the Simic and Golgari pretty highly as suspects.” That was logical. One guild that loved biological experiments, and one whose entire livelihood and culture was entwined with death would definitely have an interest in an unusual corpse. 

“So...what now then? We just walk up, knock on the Guildgate and ask if they’ve been bodysnatching?” Pavla gestured at Jace, “Are they _ obligated _ to answer you? Is that a Guildpact thing?”

“Definitely not. Besides, asking the Golgari if they’ve been cleaning bodies off the streets is like asking Lavinia if she’s been polishing her armour.”

The Arrester looked down at her gauntlet and buffed it thoughtfully. 

Pavla shrugged. “I’m happy to stay here while you two think something up.” She turned back to the food, stuffing another pastry into her mouth. This one had berries inside it, which popped deliciously on her tongue. She made a mental note to ask where they were from. 

“_ Or _,” Lavinia said, taking the plates from under her nose, “you could make yourself useful.”

“If you need a message delivered it’s 20 zinos, 10 more for each extra district traversed.” Pavla might admit, if pressed, that she’d jacked the price up just a _ bit _ there. Guildpacts and Arresters had to have money, and really, it was a stress-tax for everything they’d put her through so far. 

“Frankly I think I should throw you back into jail for those prices alone.” Lavinia sniffed. Pavla was about to launch into a well rehearsed speech about travel costs, danger faced and boot sole maintenance when Jace snapped his fingers. 

“I know where we—_ they _—can go while we plan the next steps. Just to verify my initial suspicions.” 

“And where is that?” Lavinia took out a notebook. “I need to record every step of this, in case it escalates.”

Jace waved a hand, “It’s not that important. Just a check. Pavla, grab your gear and meet Berrim out the front. He won’t be hard to spot.” She hurried out of the room just as the argument started about keeping good records. 

Back in the little room she’d slept in, she strapped on her armour, her reclaimed knives, one on each thigh, and slung her messenger pouch across her back after filling it with a few of the treats she had snuck away at breakfast. It didn’t hurt to be prepared. Feeling more herself, she stuck her head out of the room and jumped when a dancing light appeared in front of her nose. It spun in the air and trailed off down the corridor. Pavla sighed and followed it. Mages were such showoffs.

A twisting staircase led down to a small courtyard with a fountain in the middle, and a young man perched on the edge of it, legs dangling down towards the cobblestones. His clothes were a high collared jacket, trousers and boots, all shades of grey and brown. A scarf provided a splash of dark blue around his neck, and he bore no guild crest. She had wondered if she’d end up paired with some Azorius flunkie who would force her to do everything by the book, but this seemed more promising. Anything was more fun than being forced to befriend a lawmage.

He turned and gave her a wave, the little blue light whizzing around his hand before fizzing out of existence. She gave a start, blinked, and then peered at him. “Berrim?”

“That’s me.” 

She shaded her eyes from the morning sun and gave him a proper look. “For a second there you looked...never mind.”

“Like The Guildpact, yes, I get that a lot.” He hopped down from his perch and gave her a sardonic smile. She could see now that while they did share similarities, his skin was tanned where Jace was almost too pale (probably from never leaving his desk), and though his eyes were the same blue and his build was similar, he held himself differently.

“I had a very long day yesterday,” she said, rubbing her eyes.

“Well, you’re not the first to say it.” He shrugged. “Are you ready to head on out?”

“Absolutely not.” She jammed her hands on her hips and squinted up at him. “I don’t have any information on the job, and I know nothing about you.”

He fished under his shirt and pulled out a pendant set with a strange looking blue gem, tossing it over to her. She held it up and frowned at it. “If you have that on, the Guildpact can communicate with you no matter where you are in the city,” he said, by way of an explanation. “I’ll give you it for now, so you can run this job.” Not entirely trusting him, but curious, she dropped the chain over her head. The gem glowed. “Rub a finger across it - it will send a… I suppose a knock on the door, to use a metaphor.” She did so, polishing the surface with her thumb, and felt something open up in her mind.

_ Hello Pavla. Thank you for helping our investigation. I’m glad you’re sticking around a while longer. _

“I want to find that body so I have proof I didn’t do it,” she muttered. “And this job better be related, or I’m leaving to find it myself. I’m not here to run boring errands for you.”

_ I think I can keep you interested. How do you feel about breaking into Nivix? _


	2. Nivix

Pavla had been almost everywhere a courier could go on Ravnica, down odd little alleys where houses were piled on top of each other, through markets that made the word ‘busy’ the most polite understatement a person could make, and over the rooftops of mansions owned by the wealthy and often morally questionable. But the guilds… she never really went  _ in  _ to the guilds. It wasn’t so much that you weren’t allowed, it was more that you felt so out of place you just avoided it right from the start. A courier could get into anywhere, sure, but did she want to? Guests of the Izzet were known to sometimes combust without warning, and now she was considering sneaking into their headquarters. But...while common sense told her to say no, there was a voice – and this one didn’t belong to a mind mage, she’d checked – whispering in the back of her mind that  _ didn’t she always want to know what it was like, deep in the centre of Nivix? _ The home of Ravnica’s only  _ true _ and extremely capricious dragon.

“So let me get this straight,” she said quietly, as they walked through a quiet side street, “We need to get to a guy-“

“A Guildmage.”

“Who has been studying stuff like our appearing body-“

“ _ In theory _ like it. That’s what we need to confirm.”

“But he’s not a huge fan of the Guildpact, so we have to sneak in and hope he doesn’t explode us when he finds out who we’re asking questions for. If we even get that far.” Berrim nodded. “And this is just a normal day for you?”

He gave this some thought. “It certainly  _ used _ to be. I’ve had a quiet life these past few months.” He seemed sincere and Pavla couldn’t bring herself to point out how incredibly crazy that was.

“And I  _ am  _ getting paid for this.”

“Double your usual rate. Because that’s what you quoted, or so I’m told.” 

She ignored that gentle little snipe. “Alright… how quickly do we need this done?” Her mind was already working on the various routes they could take. She looked critically at Berrim. Could he climb? There was a huge difference between climbing one or two walls and scaling Ravnica’s rooftops in terms of stamina needed. Probably not, she thought. When she’d asked, Jace had called him his apprentice. 

_ Not an apprentice Guildpact,  _ he’d clarified when she’d pulled a confused face. It must have come through in her thoughts.  _ A mage. He might be useful.  _ How exactly he might be useful hadn’t been clear. 

Berrim frowned and pulled a watch from his pocket. “We can take the scenic, slower route,” he said. “The point of this exercise is not an urgent one, after all.” She was about to agree when he added. “And there’s a bookshop over near Tin Street I want to visit, if we’re going past.”

“Are you joking? This isn’t a shopping trip.”

“But it  _ could _ be.”

Pavla frowned at him. “Once I’ve been given a job, I get it done. Time is money. Besides, don’t you have enough books back in that library to read?”

He sighed. “I’ve read all the fun ones. Azorius law books are a great sleep aid but that’s about it.”

She couldn’t help snorting a laugh at that. “Fine, just don’t slow us down. Going through the market could be handy, it’s easy to lose anyone trying to follow you there, and there might be something useful for us - and by that I mean  _ you _ \- to buy for this job. I barely have a zib left.”

“Fair,” he mused. They had joined a main street, and Berrim was walking sideways through the crowd, she noticed, not looking where he was going. And yet no one was bumping into him. That might change once they hit the  _ real _ crowds on Tin Street, but for now it was an uncanny thing for her to watch. His gaze shifted upwards to the yawning arches of an Orzhov basilica as they passed the church, the crowd still flowing neatly around him as the varied patrons of the guild bustled past Pavla, jostling her as they carried tribute into the building. Some wore a look of hope - perhaps they were buying themselves a better life. Others were most definitely still paying their debts.

She hunched her shoulders and pushed her way through the throng as the great basilica bells far above their heads tolled out the hour, echoed by others across the city. This was why rooftops were so much better than roads. She was shorter than average, and finding her way through crowds were a pain at ground level. Annoyingly, Berrim seemed to be enjoying himself, peering down the road as it opened in front of them, absentmindedly dodging a giant who was carrying a huge and potentially concussive package around human head-level. Mages.

She hadn’t asked but could only assume that his magic bore some similarity to Jace’s - that seemed to be how it worked with other branches. Someone born able to throw lightning gravitated to the Izzet, necromancers to the Golgari, nature mages to the Selesnya. There couldn’t be a lot of places for a mind mage to learn his craft. Not many that didn’t exact a high price, anyway.

They spilled onto Tin Street, site of the biggest market in Ravnica. It stretched across districts, vast and loud, filled with merchants hawking their wares and customers often failing to hold onto their wallets. Pavla had grown up visiting this place with her mother, and knew exactly where all of her favourite vendors pitched their stalls. She hadn’t had breakfast that long ago but if she could get another snack...maybe in return for letting Berrim browse a few books… she’d be happy. She swung her couriers pack around to her chest and held it tightly. Pickpockets were rife here, and even though she had nothing of value in the bag right now, it wasn’t a bad habit to keep up. 

She gave Berrim a light tap on the arm. He was still doing that thing, whatever it was. The crowd was slipping around him, laden down with their purchases. Even the excited children weaving between the legs of the adults stayed just far enough away to not bother him. “You know, if you keep doing that, we’ll stand out,” she hissed. 

“Hm?” He turned from surveilling the market and gave a start. “ _ Oh.  _ Sorry, bad habit.” And suddenly the crush of the market enveloped then both as if someone had flipped a switch. Pavla squawked as someone trod on her foot. 

“Maybe a little warning next time you do something magey?” He just grinned at her. “So you’re like him? Another mind reader?” She asked as they pushed forward. 

“I suppose you could say that, yes.” He pointed over to the left. “That way!”

She grabbed his sleeve. “But Master Otev’s freshly baked goods are  _ this _ way.”

“And are they integral to our job?”

“Absolutely,” she replied, completely straight faced. “And to you getting to your book shop.”

They pushed, shoved and squeezed their way over to the stall. This was probably the worst time to visit Tin Street, when everyone and their mother was out to get fresh morning supplies. But they came away with a large, warm bag of custard tarts and chocolate pastries that Pavla clutched close to her to save from being squashed by the crowd. 

Once they had emerged onto a side street she paused and dug a tart out of the bag, savouring the look of its beautiful golden crust before she destroyed it. “I hope you know I’ll be tracking our expenses,” Berrim said from over her shoulder, forgotten in the moment. “Lavinia would never forgive me if I didn’t.”

“It is essential to keep up your energy on a delivery.” She wagged a finger at him and offered him the bag. He took a custard tart and gestured for her to follow him down the road. Pavla wandered after him, plucking something chocolatey out to nibble. It was still warm, melting in her mouth as she went. 

The bookshop was hidden under some arches in an area much quieter than the main marketplace. As they approached a hooded figure stepped out, turning to head down the path that led away from them. For a second Pavla saw a flash of golden eyes and felt a chill shoot down her spine. She felt that she had just avoided someone very dangerous, but couldn’t explain quite why. She did know that she would never follow that person to find out. 

Berrim seemed unfazed, probably because he was distracted at the prospect of procuring more books. He launched himself into the shop with enthusiasm - Pavla decided to stay outside with her baked goods and keep watch, in case there was anything to keep watch for. 

Time passed, with only a few people strolling down the street for her to keep an eye on. She peered inside once boredom set in - the shop was filled wall to ceiling with books of all different shapes and sizes. Right up the back she could see the mage poring over a pile, and coughed loudly enough that he frowned at her for hurrying him up. Sighing, she went back to munching on a pastry and staring into the shadowy recesses of the buildings outside, then gazing upwards and planning just how she would climb to the top. A low rooftop here, a handhold there - it wouldn’t take her too long to get up there. She had plotted 3 routes when he emerged with a sizeable bag of tomes. 

She eyed the haul. “I hope you know you have to carry that all the way to Nivix now.”

He threw her an arch look, “I’ve suffered worse for literature.”

“Alright then. I was thinking we should climb up to that rooftop,“ she pointed at a particularly steep incline, “and make our way across the city that way.”

Berrim said something unintelligible but definitely very rude and turned to walk back towards Tin Street. Pavla tagged along, grinning. 

***

They meandered through the side streets that bordered the market, avoiding the majority of the crowd, though there were still traders and shopfronts littering the streets. Travelling this way was a good reminder of why she usually worked high up and alone - between the two of them they found something distracting every few yards. But she  _ was  _ being paid, and double, so Pavla decided to just enjoy herself. Berrim was, in a way, an extension of her client, and he didn’t seem to be complaining at any rate.

“So I’m thinking,” she said after dragging him from another second hand book stall, “the easiest way to get into anywhere is look like you should be there. Let’s make a delivery to your Guildmage. We need something annoyingly bulky so no one else offers to take it off us.” She patted a large ornate box stacked outside one of the shops. “Like this!”

“That is absolutely why I’ve been picking up so many books,” he lied, poorly. “So you’ll need to carry it. My hands are full.” They really were. Did he not get out much? Or did this happen every time? Maybe Berrim was the reason that the library existed in the first place. 

“Fine. I’ll need to put something on it to make it look legit. And your money to pay for it.” He sighed and dropped a bag of books to hand her some zinos. 

“That’s going on the expense report!” He called after her as she entered the shop to pay. “Get a receipt!” She waved a hand dismissively, but did as he said, because no one wanted an Azorius Arrester chasing them for paperwork. 

Pavla walked away with her new prop, admiring the scrollwork carved into the lid. “Now this needs to look like an important Izzet delivery,” she said thoughtfully. “There’s usually a guild seal, an address…”

Berrim brushed a hand over the top of the box, an Izzet symbol seemingly burning itself into the top of the wood, the seal appearing on the side, attached to a bashed up address label. She gaped at it, turning the box this way and that to admire the detail. “What else can you do?”

“I’ve found it best to keep that to myself,” he said cryptically. 

“Huh. I guess that way people assume you’re super powerful and don’t mess with you.” She poked a finger at the seal. It felt solid. 

“Something like that.”

“But… we’re friends now, right? I let you go to all those bookshops. You can show me  _ something _ .”

He gave her a bemused look. “I mean… I just did, didn’t I?”

“I meant something unnecessary and cool,” she grumbled, hoisting the box so it sat on her hip. 

“Luckily for you, we are heading to the guild that specialises in such things.”

***

Soon the gates of Nivix loomed in the distance, the main tower itself stretching almost impossibly high up into the sky. Lightning flashed around windows, machinery hissed and steamed, and the odd surprised scream cut the hum of invention in action that surrounded the building. Pavla had delivered quite a few things here over the years – some Izzet members got so involved in their work that they didn’t fancy leaving the place to get supplies, and sometimes care packages from concerned mothers of new guild apprentices needed to be dropped off – but she never went past the gates. She’d tell other people that it was easier that way, more efficient, but if she was honest the idea of going inside did scare her a little. There was nowhere else you were more likely to be hit by a stray lightning bolt or squashed by someone’s runaway experimental hoverboard. The Izzet League were dotted across the city but this was the greatest concentration of mad genius, where the most accidents were reported. Pavla liked the idea of keeping herself in one piece, thank you very much. 

She must have been looking apprehensive as they neared Nivix, the buildings around them changing to incorporate more pipes and machinery, a sprawling extension of the ongoing projects of the guild. Berrim threw her an encouraging smile. “Don’t worry,” he said quietly. “I’m not allowed to let you get blown up today. All we need to do is get to our Guildmage and then we can leave as soon as possible.”

“And what if  _ he _ blows us up?”

“I don’t think he’d waste the power.”

“Reassuring.” She checked the box on her hip – whatever he’d done to it was still holding and looked as realistic as ever. Pavla gathered her courage and strolled up to the guards at the gate, brandishing the box at them. “Delivery for Guildmage Zarek. I’ve instructions to ensure it’s delivered to him personally.”

They exchanged a look. “Something for that new project?” said one of them, an older man with his hair streaked almost entirely white. Both were dressed in full Izzet livery; garishly bright blue and red in imitation of the guild’s founder, the great dragon Niv Mizzet.

The other guard shrugged. “Search me. He’s got more blueprints than the rest of the guild put together. Maybe?”

They turned back to her. “You’ll find him up on the thirty-fifth floor. Turn right at the top of the stairs, then left, then two more rights. Take the flight of stairs in front of you for three more floors, then go left, then left again.” Pavla was about to ask them to repeat it when Berrim cut in. 

“Thank you very much.” He grabbed her arm gently and led her into the guild. 

“Well I hope  _ you _ got that,” she muttered.

“Every word.”

They headed up a gigantic staircase that wound around, climbing up the massive tower that made up the core of Nivix. Corridors sprouted off the sides leading to a maze of laboratories, testing rooms and a few living quarters – though Pavla was willing to bet that more than a few of these mages slept in the same places as their projects. The Izzet were known for being brilliant but obsessive to the point of madness. They were necessary to keep the city running – without them there would be no systems in place to deal with the citizens’ demands for clean water, heat, a sewage system and a decent road layout. But they often seemed to spend the rest of their time blowing up the things they’d created in the first place. 

Pavla reached the top of the staircase barely out of breath, Berrim lagging behind. Her previous assessment of his fitness had been pretty accurate. Good enough at walking the streets but anything more extreme seemed taxing. Unsurprising for a bookworm. The large bag slung over his shoulder must not have helped – she had lost count of how many books he’d managed to pick up along the way. 

He paused at the top, leaning against the wall. “This,” he said between breaths, “is why I avoid visiting.” 

“Only the staircase?” Pavla was delighting in still being relatively fresh, and it showed in her tone. 

He looked at her askance. “Now you’re just showing off.”

“Well, I’m a non magical person surrounded by mages right now. I have to get my ego boosts somewhere,” she grinned. 

He sighed, hefted the bag onto his shoulder again and glanced down the corridor ahead. “There  _ is  _ so much magic going on down there it’s making my hair stand on end.”

“Really?” Her confidence dimmed as she looked down the path ahead. She couldn’t even see the end. “That much, huh.”

“If we take it slowly, we should be fine.” He headed through the doorway and looked back at her. “A rooftop courier like yourself has more than enough courage to deal with a little magic, right?”

“You realise that there’s more lightning here than up in the skies.” She wrapped her arms back around the box and followed him down the hallway. “Even though there are more storms than usual right now. Which I’m sure I can blame on someone here.” He shot her a wry smile, saying nothing as they walked slowly past each doorway. “ _ Also _ calling me a chicken, however indirectly, won’t work. For your  _ information  _ I’m here because I agreed to do this job and I’m no quitter.”

“Glad to hear it.” He held up a hand and they paused. A flash of lightning launched between the two doorways right in front of them. Pavla thought she could smell the air burning. 

“I would however like to request that we don’t come back again soon,” she added quietly. Berrim didn’t reply – he seemed to be almost listening out for something. A goblin in guild colours hared past them, dropping small mechanical parts as he went. After a few seconds there was a shrill yelp as he was caught in another blast. Pavla and Berrim exchanged a mutually confused glance. 

He held up a finger, listening again, then suddenly pushed her backwards against the wall, flattening his back to the bricks next to her. Another arc of lighting shot down the corridor from one room to another, crackling past their noses. They dashed onwards: a few more pauses and bursts of lightning later they had traversed a good half of the journey across this level, and Pavla’s nerves were substantially more frayed. She was fighting her instinct to run to safety every step. This absolutely was not a normal job and, thinking on it, perhaps she should have asked for triple pay. She was about to remark on this when she felt something in the air…  _ shift _ . She looked around, but nothing seemed unusual. 

“Yes,” said Berrim, just before she opened her mouth. 

“Did you feel that?”

“I’m not sure…” he said, frowning. 

“What’s going on?”

“No, it’s not me,” he said. They stared at each other. 

Pavla stick her hands on her hips. “Are you mind reading my questions before I ask them?” She paused and frowned, processing what he’d just said. 

He looked around at the closed lab doors nearby. “Time slippage from an experiment, I’d say.”

She gave this some thought, and figured she should ask the question he was probably answering. “If it’s not you, then what is it?”

“We’ll need to get in the same time stream. I can give it a shot,” he held a hand out. 

“...can you fix it?” She took it and was pulled alongside him, feeling something wash over her as he tugged. She patted herself down, checking she was all still here. “Would I have gotten stuck 5 seconds in the past if you hadn’t done that?”

“I’m never sure with this experimental magic, to be honest,” he said. 

“Not very reassuring.” She hugged the box to her chest. “Are we nearly there?”

“One more right,” he paused and sighed. “Then more stairs.”

Pavla perked up. “At least those are less dangerous!”

***

She regretted those words as soon as they stepped out into the stairwell. The walls were lined with huge crackling pylons that led upwards, strange pipes and wires winding across the floor. A voice jovially called out, “Look out below!” and they both gaped as a ball of electricity ricocheted off the walls toward them.  _ This is how I die, _ Pavla thought bitterly,  _ trying to climb some bloody stairs.  _

Berrim pushed her behind him, raising his hand to meet the bright death that approached them. She watched, eyes wide, as his lit with a fierce blue glow and magic flared around his glove. When the ball hit the force seemed to push him backward, boots scraping the stone as lightning flew around them, crawling across what to Pavla looked like a translucent sphere that she was safely inside. She curled herself up as small as she could in the centre of it, pressed up against his back. She could feel terror grasping her heart. He was the only thing standing between her and a horrible death and she had no idea if he was capable of doing so.  _ Bloody Izzet, bloody mages.  _

With a flick of his hand the lightning vanished as soon as it had appeared, dissipating across the floor as little sparks. He turned to look at her, seemingly unruffled. “Are you alright?” 

Pavla tried to relax her body, even just a bit, but the fear had frozen her almost solid. “Maybe?” she squeaked.

“ _ Wonderful! _ What a fantastic reaction time! _ ” _ That same voice that had shouted a warning far too late echoed down the steps. A woman with curly wild hair appeared around one of the pylons. “You’re not a guildmage?” she said, pushing her goggles up to her forehead. “You should apply! We’re always in need of a good spell defuser. The League would very much value your talents.”

He stepped away from Pavla, who was still regaining the use of her limbs, and regarded the sprawl of equipment that covered the stairs. “I’m afraid I already have other commitments. What exactly... _ are _ you doing firing lightning down the staircase?”

The woman launched into an excited explanation about energy transference and conversion while Pavla checked that all of her was intact and indeed, not on fire. Once she was sure she had survived unscathed, irritation rose. 

“You should  _ warn people _ ,” she cut in, uninterested in whatever some mad scientist was saying. “You almost blew my  _ head off _ .”

The woman harrumphed. “I  _ did _ put a sign up.”

Pavla stalked over to the door and pulled a scorched scrap of paper off it that was attached by a nail. There were no legible words left on it. She brandished it up the stairs. “This is  _ not _ a proper warning.”

The goggles were pushed back down, and two hugely magnified eyes frowned down at her. “Should you even be up here?”

Berrim waved a calming hand at Pavla behind his back, the universal gesture for  _ shut up _ . “We’re making a personal delivery,” he said smoothly. “Are we clear to head up the stairs so that you can continue your work as soon as possible? It sounded very important, and we wouldn’t want to cause any delay.”

She puffed up slightly, reminding Pavla of certain brightly coloured birds she saw up high. “Yes yes, off you go now.”

They hurried up the steps to the next level, pylons looming over them all the way to the top. After they were through the door they both visibly relaxed, and Pavla grinned slyly. “Oh, we wouldn’t want to interrupt your  _ fascinating, truly important work, your greatness,”  _ she drawled, waving her arms dramatically. 

Berrim raised an eyebrow. “Say what you like, a little poke to the ego gets you past a lot of intelligent people with very little work.” He peered down the hallway that led off to the left. “It seems quieter up here. For now.”

“Good, I‘m not sure I can take much more.” She adjusted her grip on the box. It was unwieldy and annoying, as she’d planned, but she hadn’t expected to have to drag it quite so far. “So, countermagic, huh.”

“How else would I be useful in a place like this?” They strolled down the corridor, her watching him for any gesture that told her to stop and get out of the way of any stray spells. 

She shrugged. “Maybe if you could turn all my clothes to rubber.”

“That sounds incredibly specific. And uncomfortable. I’ll pass on that ability.” They ducked under some glass tubing built across the centre of the corridor. Every now and again bursts of energy were passing through it, throwing flashes of light across the room and making their shadows dance.

“How hard was that to do? And by that, I mean can you do it again if another person fires something at us?”

He pointed to the left and they turned towards a small alcove that housed a door to a lab. “You’re safe with me, Pavla. If I let you get fried, Lavinia would skin me alive.”

“With the law.”

“Exactly.” He gestured at the door. “Real couriers first.”

“You’d better be ready to deal with anything that flies at my face when I knock.” She raised a hand and rapped her knuckles on the wood. There was a noise that sounded similar enough to an invitation to come in, and she pushed it open, warily.

***

The lab was huge, with great glass cylinders lining the walls, filled with crackling energy. Tubes and wires criss-crossed the ceiling, flowing out of the windows and down through the floorboards, and the vast tables were scattered with shiny metal parts, half assembled machines and tools of every shape and size.

There was someone half inside one of these contraptions, almost waist deep, fiddling with something inside. He waved a hand out towards one of the benches. “Spark wrench.” Pavla and Berrim exchanged a look, then she shrugged, picked one up and dropped it in his palm. A few clanking noises later, the hand reemerged. Pavla noticed a tattoo of a strange looking snake-beast winding down the arm. “Drift pin.” She handed him another tool. They stood in silence, waiting as something went on inside the machine. The hand stuck back out in her direction. “Number 71 and 72 bolts.”

Pavla looked around. This was where her engineering knowledge ended. She reached into her box and dropped something into his hand. It vanished into the dark again and he banged his head with a clang, then pushed himself out of the machine. A man with the familiar white streaks of an Izzet researcher through his dark hair shot her an outraged look. He was broad shouldered and long limbed, and dressed head to toe in Izzet finery - a clear sign, even if they hadn’t had to climb so high, that he was well respected within the guild. “You’re not Assistant Researcher Novic.”

She shifted uncomfortably. “No. Sorry?”

“And this is a custard tart.”

“Yes.”

“What are you doing in my lab?” He looked over and noticed Berrim for the first time, eyes immediately narrowing. ”Oh.  _ No. Nope. _ Whatever it is, no.” He grabbed some bolts from the table and went back inside his machine. The apprentice mage rolled his eyes. There was a pause and then, “This is one of Master Otev’s custard tarts.”

“Best in the city,” Pavla said. 

He reappeared, this time with a half eaten tart and eyed them suspiciously. “And you’re not leaving.”

She gestured at the box, “We brought you a delivery.”

He regarded it suspiciously, then flicked a finger toward the lid. A spark leapt the gap and dissolved the illusion Berrim had laid on it faster than she could blink. “You’ll have to do a bit better than that,” he said archly, and went back to his machine. Pavla exchanged a look with her companion. He shrugged.

She sighed. “Well. That’s a shame. After all he said about you.”

There was a pause. Then Zarek’s voice echoed inside his invention. “Like  _ what.” _

“Oh, I don’t know. I was told I shouldn’t tell you. He said it would only make you more insufferable.” In the corner of her eye she could see Berrim waving his arms and mouthing things like ‘ _ What are you doing?’  _ and ‘ _ Stop!’ _

The Guildmage stood back up. “ _ Oh really.” _

“Yes I distinctly remember the Guildpact saying  _ not _ to tell you that you were our only hope solving this case. But I guess you wouldn’t want to help anyway.”

He leaned on the brass lid that crowned his machine and gave her a peeved but curious look. She had him. For now, at least. 

She opened the box again and picked out another snack. “If you’re too busy to help with our mysterious appearing body investigation then I understand.”

He caught the lid as it closed and swiped a chocolate pastry. “Payment for my time,” he said, biting into it, crumbs dropping across the workbench. “One pastry. Ten minutes.”

“Oh, no. I really wouldn’t want to interrupt you,” she said, picking up the box and looking around the room with wide eyes, “it looks like you’re doing the work of the entire guild up here.”

He rolled his eyes. “ _ Please.  _ I think I know what this is about and you’ll get nowhere without me.”

“Are you sure?” Pavla did her best to sound grateful and overwhelmed. 

“I was only working on my automated coffee machine anyway,” he patted the top of the brass dome next to him. “Which, admittedly, is still more important than most things Beleren would ever bother me about.” He shot a grin at Berrim, who was watching them, a neutral expression very firmly on his face. “I hope you have more pastries in that box.” She nodded, placing it back down on the table and followed him across the lab into another room. 

She didn’t need to exaggerate her amazed expression in here - the room was filled with a perfect recreation of a storm, clouds swirling above their heads and flashes of light erupting above her with tiny cracks of thunder. Zarek strolled directly to a console that sat in the centre of the room, shiny brass and covered in buttons and dials. Wires trailed from its base across to every corner of the room. He turned and smiled rather smugly at her enraptured face. “Good, isn’t it? And you don’t even know what it does. Not that I’d tell you.” He raised his hand, lightning crackling around the gauntlet that hugged his arm and plunged it into the machine, where it clicked into place neatly. It shone with light and hummed to life, generating a code that shone in the air before him, lines of data flashing past at speed. 

“What’s your mystery then?” he said. “Because I’m sure I can solve it.”

Pavla had no idea what to ask. She stared around the room as the storm swirled. “What  _ is  _ this?” she said quietly. 

Berrim stepped forward. “We need to know if you tracked a disturbance yesterday evening,” he said, “around here.” The same small map of the area she’d found the body that she’d seen in Jace’s library sprang up above his hand. “And if there were any further ones shortly afterwards.”

“Is that all? I was right. The coffee machine  _ was _ much more important.” He pulled the gauntlet from the machine and it hummed to a standstill. When he spread his fingers sparks crackled between them, a light projecting the information he needed before his eyes. “Yes. I did. And no. There were not.”

“Thank you, that confirmed my hypothesis and narrowed the suspects quite effectively.” Berrim wandered back out of the room, thoughtful, then glanced back. “Not that I’m not grateful for how useful this was, but I’m surprised you haven’t dismantled this yet.”

Zarek shrugged. “I’m busy. These things take time.” Berrim tapped his lip thoughtfully but said nothing else, heading back out into the lab. The Guildmage turned back to Pavla. “That was dull. How did you get caught up in his mess, courier girl?”

“Pavla,” she corrected him. “And it’s kind of my mess. I stumbled over the body and got arrested.” She stared back up at the ceiling. “How did you  _ do _ this?”

He stood next to her and looked up with her. “Pure, unadulterated skill.” Her cynical look only earned a grin. “To be honest, that stuff up there,” he waved a hand, “is purely decorative. Most of the machine’s workings are outside on the roof. But this is a lot more fun.” He flicked a lightning bolt up into the clouds and it bounced around the indoor sky. 

“Well,” she said, “I suppose today delivered. I asked for some unnecessary and cool magic and I got a storm room.”

“Storm rooms are always necessary.” He shut the lab door behind them, and locked it firmly, she noted. “Don’t you see magic every day across the city in your job?”

“Yes but Berrim wasn’t delivering on anything truly fantastic.” They looked over at the apprentice, who was leaning against a heavy table, deep in thought.

Zarek harrumphed. “Good, perhaps he’s finally taking responsibility.” His words went ignored, even though they sounded very much like a jibe. “But if you want something fantastic, I think I have just the thing.” He led her outside to a large balcony that looked across the city below. The height was daunting, even for Pavla. The people down below scuttled around the streets like ants. She stared downward, watching sparks fly from windows of Nivix and clouds pass below her. Behind her, Zarek took a deep breath. “I do love the smell of an oncoming storm,” he said. “I bet you’re not looking forward to the climb back down.”

Pavla groaned. “I’d forgotten about that for a second. It was stressful enough doing it once.” 

“Lucky for you then, you won’t have to.” She turned to see him wreathed in lightning that flashed down from the clouds that spiralled around them. This was the kind of magic she’d wanted to see, but, as she realised too late that she was standing on some kind of machine, was maybe not the kind she  _ should _ have wanted. His eyes shone white, the electricity around him almost too bright to bear. “What-”

“Off we go!” The lightning leapt from his hands across the metalwork, magic flared in the air, circles that spun faster than she could focus. There was a roar in her ears and the world went white.

***

“Courier girl?”

She blinked a few times and rubbed her ears. Nothing felt quite real. A hand waved in front of her face, then snapped its fingers a few times. Her eyes focused. She was standing at the fountain, where she’d met up with Berrim. She whirled around. Guildmage Zarek was standing next to her with a smug expression on his face. 

“Well?” he said expectantly. She stared down at her feet. The cobbles were singed with a perfect circle and leaves and dust had blasted out from its radius with extreme force. “Perhaps this was too much for a guildless human,” he mused.

“What was that?” she croaked, finally finding her voice.

“Teleportal. To anywhere in the city. Pretty fantastic, huh?” He tapped his gauntlet thoughtfully. “Now I need to make a portable version that doesn’t turn people inside out. Pocket-size, if I can.”

“You could have  _ warned _ me,” she looked around. “Wait, where’s Berrim?”

“Oh, I left him behind. He’s probably extremely concerned right now.” He gave her a wave. “Don’t worry, I won’t leave him alone for long. Don’t want him to touch my stuff.” And with that, lightning coalesced around him and he leapt into the air, flying from rooftop to rooftop back to Nivix. Pavla just stared.

“...Inside out?” she said faintly.

“What in Azor’s name happened here?” Lavinia’s voice barked from behind her. The lawmage was staring at the mess in the courtyard. “And why is your hair smoking?” Pavla slowly raised a hand and patted it to make sure it wasn’t actually aflame.

“I, er, think I took the fast route back.” she tottered into the doorway and leaned against the wall. “I’ll just stay here a while. With this nice solid rock.”

The Arrester looked her up and down, with what might actually have been concern. Then she shrugged. “The Guildpact will see you again when you’re ready, I’m sure. I hope your little expedition was worth the time.”

“I’m just glad I survived.” She slid down the wall and flopped against it. “You can tell Jace I’ll be over once my legs work again. Berrim’s still in Nivix but I’m guessing he-“ she paused and wiggled her fingers at forehead height, “-knows that.” Lavinia harrumphed and headed back into the building. 

***

She sat and watched the world go by through the back gates to what she knew now was the Chamber of the Guildpact. It was quiet, with only a few citizens strolling past on various errands and no one giving her a second glance, slumped in the shadows. Mercifully, there was also a complete lack of lightning. She watched a bird flit around the fountain, enjoying the peace. 

She had almost dozed off when she felt something like a knock on the door to her mind, and sighed.  _ Yes? _

_ Just...checking. You’ve been sitting there a while.  _

She pushed herself to her feet. “Fine, Fine. I’m coming.”

_ Well, it sounds like you’re alright after all that, at least.  _

She smiled sardonically and headed back into the heart of the building, past some doors that hid noisy debate, presumably guilds petitioning for different rulings on their problems. By the time she reached the library, a quiet stillness had fallen. This was an intended design feature of the layout, she was sure. Being a mind reader in a noisy room must be twice as bad as it was for your average introvert, and there was no way that Jace was someone who liked crowds. It was likely that Berrim had picked up that crowd manipulation magic from him. 

She pushed open the library door - heavy wood with the symbols of each guild carved with care into its surface - and peered down into the room. Jace was, as expected, still at his desk. Perhaps he hadn’t moved the entire time she’d been gone. He was peering at a sheaf of papers stacked in front of him, rubbing his creased brow. At that point, she thought, he looked twice his age. She picked up a candle from a nearby stand and lit some of the cold wicks around him. The light wasn’t great - clouds had covered the sky outside and it made for dim reading. 

_ Thank you. _

She jumped, spilling wax on the table. “Do you have to do the telepathy thing when I’m next to you?”

He looked up, surprised, as if just noticing that she was right there. “Sorry, force of habit. It’s more or less the same as speaking for me.”

A suspicion arose. “Does that mean that you and Lavinia were having secret conversations behind my back this whole time?”

“Only if it was Guildpact related or we didn’t want to alarm you further.” He gave her a half shrug. “Sorry?”

“You’re not supposed to apologise as if it’s a question.” She sat down on a chair by the table. It was comfortable and nice quality, she’d admit. Perks of being on this job. 

“It feels like the only response to  _ that _ is yet another sorry, which won’t help.” He picked up a quill and signed the bottom of a few pages. 

“Guildpacts aren’t supposed to say sorry at all. They’re supposed to be all-“ She waved a hand imperiously, “No, the Golgari may not expand into the Ninth! You Izzet there, no blowing people up for a few hours! No littering on the Transguild Promenade!”

He laughed. “Wonderful. If only I could lend this duty out, I’d make you Guildpact for a day for sure.”

“Because I’d make you look good?”

He raised an eyebrow, “I don’t right now?”

“Frankly, you look stressed.”

Jace sighed. “Maybe Lavinia was right. Maybe I shouldn’t be so informal with civilians.” He shot her a wry look. “They’re only trouble.”

“Psh,” she waved a hand dismissively, “I bet you love trouble. It’s much more interesting than paperwork. And talking of it – where are we investigating next? Will Berrim be back soon? Does he have the rest of my pastries?”

“Ral claimed the last of them as payment for his services.”

“His  _ services _ ? He zapped me across the city! Without warning!” Her outburst knocked over a few books, which she swiftly put back after receiving an admonishing look.  _ Guild Boundary Law, _ she read on one spine and  _ A History Of The Azorius, Book XXI.  _ “It looks like you have a thrilling day ahead,” she said, poking at the spines.

He ignored her. “The next stop would be the Golgari, but uh–“

“Don’t tell me, they don’t like you much either.” Pavla grinned, perching on her chair, knees tucked to her chin. “I can mind read too.”

“There are certain members who have, uh,  _ strong opinions _ on my role,” he said carefully. 

“Excellent politicking there.” 

He gave her a little salute for the acknowledgement. “By extension they also have strong opinions on anyone working for or with me. It could be much more dangerous to send you there. Even  _ with _ Berrim.” He tapped his lip pensively. 

“I can handle myself in a fight. Depends what kind of dangerous you mean.”

“The kind you may not see until it’s too late. I don’t particularly want to send you both into danger on a theory.” His brows knit together in deep thought. She could almost see him weighing her life up against more investigation. 

“Guildpact!” Lavinia burst through the door, armour clanking as she took the stairs two at a time. “There has been an  _ incident.  _ The Rakdos have raided the Golgari without any apparent provocation. The streets are chaos around one of the Golgari guildgates, and members of both guilds are brawling outside our building!”

“Fantastic!” Jace leapt out of his chair, “That absolutely proves it then.”

Lavinia gave him an unimpressed look. He started pacing back and forward, blue sparks trailing from his eyes. Something magical was happening. Pavla sat expectantly on the edge of her chair. 

“Something was definitely taken, but most of them don’t have any idea what,” he muttered. “I don’t think anyone outside saw it with their own eyes. How frustrating. Pavla!” She jerked upright, “Can you head out on the rooftops and meet Berrim out by the Golgari guildgate?”

“Guildpact, you’d better be planning on dealing with this right  _ now _ .” Lavina growled.

He waved a soothing hand. “Yes yes. And I have full faith in your lawmages’ skills in breaking up the mess outside. We’ll work this out.” 

She didn’t look convinced. Pavla slipped back out of the room and up, climbing some stairs that she’d spotted earlier on, trying locked doors and finding new, hidden hallways until she’d reached the attics. She pushed a window open and slid down onto the roof. 

Lavinia had not been exaggerating. Down below a mass of bodies seethed, brandishing weapons, screaming and pulling hair. The Guilds were ancient and respected institutions but as soon as one offended the other all hell broke loose and the streets often got dangerous. 

Pavla took a moment to climb halfway up a spire and got her bearings. Dark clouds rolled overhead, bringing to mind Ral and his storm room, and she wondered how much of the weather across the city was his doing. She could smell the promise of rain in the air, and decided she’d better move quickly. Slippery rooftops were much more dangerous, and she didn’t want to call off this job. She wanted to solve this mystery.

She eyed the end of the roof and took a run at it, leaping gracefully to the next building, skidding forward on the tiles. Pavla was always fascinated by magic because she’d never had a talent for it, despite it being incredibly common across Ravnica. When you thought about it though, it was just another skill people had, and this was hers. Years of training and a natural affinity for heights and finding the right handholds had honed her own kind of magic. She could cross the city effortlessly. 

The wind whipped around her as she ran from roof to roof. Sometimes another courier ran past nearby and they’d nod to each other in a kind of professional solidarity, or the shadow of the wings of one of Ravnica’s airborne creatures passed over her. The Guilds often kept them tamed, and she saw an entire flight of Boros Skyjeks soar past back toward the Chamber of the Guildpact on their white winged rocs. Jace hadn’t been wrong about the swift response to the rioting; perhaps he could even feel them coming. He was definitely on another level to his apprentice, if he’d read the entire crowd from inside his library. It was probably a good thing he seemed to have a moral compass, she mused, or he might have joined up with some shadier characters. Even  _ she  _ had received some suspicious recruitment offers before, and her skill set was a lot less… abusable.

She edged around a parapet, swung on a gargoyle - making sure it wasn’t one of the ones who could move, first, and caught her first glimpse of the Golgari guildgate. There was no question that this was the place the raid had happened; the streets were strewn with debris, half the brickwork of the gate was far from where it should be, and any unlucky carts that had been nearby were now firewood. One of them  _ was  _ actually on fire. She skipped over a small gap and shuffled up to a rooftop window, sitting at its peak to watch the streets below. There  _ had _ been bodies, but most had now vanished, removed either by their comrades or more likely the Golgari, who wasted nothing. The blood on the cobblestones was drying to a burnt rust, and there was no longer any sign of the Rakdos. 

The Golgari had posted guards outside the door to their domain, which was small compared to those some of the other guilds sported. But Pavla knew you shouldn’t judge such things by appearances. Their territory spread far down in the Undercity, a maze of tunnels and great forgotten architecture built layer upon layer as Ravnica grew. There was far more space down there in the dark than up on the surface, and although they did share it with a few other guilds, Pavla had grown up with the same knowledge that every citizen of Ravnica had - the Golgari were the biggest guild, and if they ever did decide to rise up, everyone else might be in a lot of trouble. For now, they were held by the Guildpact and their seeming apathy toward expansion skyward, and everyone hoped it would stay that way.

She’d never gone down there, mostly because for a roof runner the Undercity was an extremely unnatural habitat. Most unguilded people who did go down there did not return, so while she’d always admit to being curious about what it was like, she felt no need to go exploring. Settling into her rooftop perch, Pavla pulled an apple out of her bag and chomped down on it, enjoying the moment. It was sweet, rosy pink and delicious, and she was glad she had stolen it that morning off the desk.

“Can I have one too?” A voice came out of nowhere, making her jump. She glared at Berrim, who was standing on the roof next to her. No, wait, a  _ translucent _ version of him was. She tossed the apple core through the illusion, making it dissipate.

“Only mages who actually climb up get snacks,” she sniffed.

“Well, that’s not fair,” a voice from below said. She peered down, picking him out in the shadows.

“Come on up, it’s easy from where you are,” she hissed, trying to avoid any unwanted Golgari attention.

“Show me.”

Pavla sighed, then looked around. She visualised the route that someone less used to climbing could take. “How about this?” There was a tickle in the back of her mind as the information transferred, then she sat and waited as he swore his way up the building. It was a dusty and dishevelled apprentice who appeared on the roof beside her, flopped backwards onto the tiles and blew some hair out of his eyes, exhausted. “Sorry,” she said, “I didn’t realise you’d fall over quite  _ that  _ much.” She pulled another apple out of her bag and held it out for him to grab. “If it’s any consolation, it’s a good view up here.”

He held up a gloved finger. “I’ll… take a look in a sec.”

“How was the journey back from Nivix?” she asked, watching the Golgari guards change on the gate. Most of them were Devkarin, the elves that lived in the Undercity who sported intricate markings painted on their skin and clothes that looked like they had grown, rather than been donned. She’d never known one personally, but she could bet that, like the elves that allied with the Simic and Selesnya, their senses were keen and their reflexes beyond that of a human.

“Slow,” he said. “But probably less shocking than yours.”

“So you didn’t get a teleportal ride, then.”

“Of course not,” he pushed himself up to sitting, “Ral doesn’t like me very much. I thought that was quite obvious.”

“Because you’re Jace’s apprentice?” 

He dusted his scarf off, adjusting it on his neck where it had slipped during the climb. “He was very unimpressed by the outcome of the Implicit Maze. Anything Guildpact related causes...friction.” He peered gingerly downward at the gate. “He says you owe him four more pastries, by the way. By his reckoning he saved you about an hour’s journey, and there were only two left in the box.”

“I...what?” Pavla spluttered. “I didn’t even ask to be zapped across the city.”

He grinned up at her on her perch. “I’m just saying… if you meet again, expect a demand for payment.”

“That is ridiculous.” She rocked forwards and lay on the roof window ridge, comfortable and with a good view of below. “So anyway, why are we here?”

“The Guildpact is sure that the body was taken by the Golgari, and probably the thing that he carried. We need to find both, if either are still here.” 

“Can you tell? Jace could tell what the people outside the hall were thinking.” She peered down at the guards. “Can you read them?”

“From this range…. yes.” His eyes lit up, just like his master’s. “I’m not getting anything specific. They’re wary and know they have to keep intruders away but they haven’t been told  _ why.  _ The one on the right needs a toilet break.” He smiled up at her cheekily. 

Pavla frowned. “Don’t you think it’s wildly convenient that no one that either of you reads knows what’s going on? Someone knows to keep secrets from mind readers.”

“Absolutely. There are people here who aren’t particularly fond of-“

“Yes, yes.” She flapped a hand at him dismissively, “I’ve reached the point where I just assume that no one likes you. No offence meant.”

“Wow. Thank you. That was blunt.” 

“It does simplify things.” She did feel a little bad saying it, but Pavla was an unashamedly straightforward person and it served her well. 

“It probably is true everywhere we might investigate though,” he sighed. “So I suppose that’s quite pragmatic. This is different to Ral though. He’ll threaten, grump and generally be uncooperative but as long as we leave him alone most of the time he’s no problem. These are people that would actively try to kill us.”

“Wonderful,” Pavla pulled a knife from its holster and tested the edge. “How are you in a fight?”

He pulled a face. “I’d rather avoid them.”

“Is that a roundabout way of saying ‘crap’?”

“It just doesn’t seem appropriate that someone in service of the Guildpact should be fighting anyone from the Guilds unless they’re forced to.” She had to admit that was a good point. “I can do self defence. I’m extremely practised at it,” he added, a touch of irony in his voice, and she wondered if she could get any stories out of him later. “But if I can avoid it, I will. We need to just sneak in, confirm what is or is not there, sneak out.”

“If only they didn’t have those darned  _ guards, _ ” she added jovially. 

He turned to look at her. “How quiet can you be?”


	3. The Undercity

And so Pavla found herself preparing to sneak past heavily armed Golgari, with nothing but the promise of invisibility on her side. 

“Are you  _ sure  _ they can’t see me?” she hissed to Berrim, who was similarly hidden. It was hard to believe when you could  _ feel _ every part of you still, even if waving a hand in front of her own face meant no change in her view. 

_ Absolutely. I even muted any noises you might make from their ears, but can we still stick to in-head communications from now on? The illusion will hold but if they become even slightly suspicious there’s more chance they’ll see through it if you’re yelling at me.  _

Pavla pulled an invisible face.  _ This is still weird to me,  _ she thought back. 

_ I’d be shocked if it wasn’t. Now. Real couriers first. _

_ We aren’t even delivering anything,  _ she muttered in her head, but moved forward anyway, walking casually towards the guildgate, still not believing that she was unseen. None of the guards even blinked. She stuck her tongue out at them. Still nothing.  _ It works!  _ she thought happily. 

_ Thank you for your faith in my ability. Can we move on? Stop making rude gestures at the guards and get past them already.  _

_ Can you see me?  _ She looked around. He was nowhere in sight. Obviously. 

_ No. I can only sense where your mind is. Like a little star in a sky full of them, but I can pick you out well enough now. And we’ve spent enough time together that I can guess what you’re doing.  _

_ Berrim, that was almost poetic. Until you ruined it.  _ She steeled herself to sneak past the guards.  _ You need to work on those pickup lines.  _

She only got an unamused silence in return, heralding the end of the banter that she was, if she was honest, using to put off having to do this. She sighed softly and crept forward. There was a gap in the centre of the gate where guild members were still being allowed entry - that was her best bet. She slipped in behind a limping Guildmage who had clearly come from the brawl that Lavinia was dealing with. One of his pointed ears was swollen, but on the whole, she figured he was quite lucky he’d kept all his limbs. No one gave her a second look as she slipped past the guards. 

_ I’m in,  _ she thought,  _ are you coming? _

_ Find a safe space out of the way. I’ll follow you in and find you.  _

_ Because I am a beautiful shiny star?  _ Mentally, she sent him a grin. 

She felt an impression of a deep sigh.  _ Don’t make me regret using analogies.  _

_ Fine… _ She walked partway down the tunnels and paused in a small room where people could pass her with ease. Once you stepped into the Golgari’s territory the city started to change. Underfoot the cobbles began to turn to a blend of stone, mud and soft moss, especially next to the walls where the underground plants could start to climb upward. A misguided person might consider the guild dirty, living with death and decay around them. But it was a natural decay smelling of loam and old leaves that Pavla was sure you only otherwise found out in Gruul territory, where the wild had reclaimed some of the city. She resisted the temptation to run a hand over the mossy wall. 

_ I’m here.  _ She jumped, still unused to the new communication. 

_ Where? _

_ Right next to you.  _ She looked around. There was no clue as to his presence. 

_ It would really help if I could see you too – what if I bump into you?  _ There was a thoughtful pause and he shimmered into view, a translucent version like the one he’d put next to her on the roof. 

_ Happy? _

_ Definitely less worried.  _ She looked down into the tunnels.  _ Do we keep going? _

The apprentice next to her seemed to stare off into the distance a while, then he nodded.  _ Yes. It feels like we need to go deeper.  _

She crept onward, dodging locals as she went. They passed a variety of guild members - guards who were headed out to relieve those at the door, elves and humans who she could only assume were low level members tending the flora of the tunnel, and once, a troll that almost filled the width of their walkway. That one really seemed to trouble Berrim, who insisted that she stay absolutely still as he worked to avoid them being detected, then refused to tell her about any previous troll avoidance adventures however much she nagged. 

Sometimes Izzet pipework entered the tunnels, filing them with warmth and prompting different plants to surround them than the damper areas, a bloom of strange colour in the dim light. They stopped at one such spot, Berrim looking ahead again, that familiar blue light filling his eyes. 

_ Downward and to the right,  _ he said in her mind. 

She peered down the right hand tunnel, comparing it to the left. They looked no different.  _ How do you know? _

_ Because the locals do,  _ he said matter-of-factly, and headed right. Pavla considered this. How many people was he reading? Did she maybe have to reassess her estimate of how strong he was compared to Jace? She shrugged and followed. 

The tunnel ended in a beautifully carved archway and opened out to a wide staircase that spiralled downward. Below them the Undercity spread as far as the eye could see – a great network of halls, arches and columns that supported the city overhead. It was almost inconceivably huge; she’d guess it was at least 50 Pavlas high at its peak, and down at floor level it buzzed with activity. She could make out a marketplace, though what was being bought and sold down there she couldn’t say. The plaza it sat on was lit by warm lanterns at its heart and an unearthly blue-green glow around the walls, which Berrim informed her was a kind of native moss before she’d even asked. 

_ Do we need to go down there?  _ she asked hopefully. She couldn’t resist exploring a market, especially one she’d never had a chance to go to before. 

_ I certainly hope not. Our invisibility won’t hold, and I doubt the wares are legal.  _

_ Boring.  _ She looked around, leaning over the carved railings; the staircase split off at multiple layers, leading into old buildings that made up the walls of this hall. The architectural style shifted the further you went, showing the different eras they were built on top of each other.  _ What about in there? _

_ Shadowy sinister alleyways? Probably where we need to go.  _ He seemed to concentrate again.  _ ...Yes. Unfortunately.  _

_ You know coming in here was your idea?  _ She sidled into the corridor around some of the residents and started snooping into every room they passed. They seemed deserted.  _ I don’t suppose you can give me magical darkvision? _

_ Not in my repertoire, sorry. Slow down! _

Pavla ignored his request and skipped down the corridor, gazing upwards in a huge hall. Creepers growing around old candelabras seemed to hold them firmer than their old chains, and the frilled fungus on the walls had a strange beauty.  _ I’m starting to understand why the Golgari like it down here,  _ she thought to him.  _ Though I would miss the sun.  _

_ Stop running ahead, we need to be more cautious. This seems too easy.  _ She rolled her eyes and wandered up to a doorway. The room was sizeable but dwarfed by the hall next door. Lamps lit the walls and in the middle… she squinted. There was someone slumped on a stone table. She crept up and her eyes widened in recognition. 

_ Berrim, I found him!  _ She reached out a hand toward the body. 

_ Don’t–! _

“Hello little thief,” a voice whispered in her ear. On instinct she dived out of the way, and a dagger whistled past her ear, sparking as it hit the stone. Her opponent grinned in the dim light – a human dressed in blacks and browns with a wicked looking blade in each hand. “You’re not who we expected, but your death should send him a message well enough.” The woman eyed her, clearly taking her measure, then smiled and seemed to shift and vanish into the shadows. A laugh echoed around the room. Pavla swore to herself, pulling her knives from their holsters. 

“That was needlessly melodramatic,” she muttered, eyes combing the darkness for any sign of movement. Her invisibility had broken as soon as she’d reached out to the body – how, she didn’t know, but now she was completely exposed. She felt rather than saw a movement to her right and brought her knives up to meet her would-be-assassin’s, angling herself so that she could twist out of the way. The woman hissed and struck again, deadly fast. Pavla parried, losing a knife to a strange hooked weapon that flipped it from her grasp and ducked the second strike, rolling across the dirt to end up back against the wall, remaining knife raised. Her breathing was harsh in her throat and her heart pounded in her ears. This opponent was no joke, precise in her movements and definitely faster than her. But Pavla was determined to stay alive down here, if only so she could throw something at a certain apprentice when he said the inevitable ‘I told you so’. 

She slowed her breath and focused. She could do this. She’d won against opponents better than her before, the key was to just fight smart, and fight dirty. The woman vanished again, smirking as she went. Now, that was annoying. Why couldn’t a person fight seriously without being an arse about it? She waited, counting heartbeats and listening for a telltale noise, back to the wall. 

There it was – a soft sound, a stone shifting – she threw herself down to the floor and kicked, hitting flesh and driving the breath from her assailant who slashed the air above her viciously. Pavla swiped back with her knife and hit the assassin's wrist hard with the pommel. A dagger dropped. She grabbed it and rolled away again. They eyed each other across the table. The assassin pulled a third knife from a holster and Pavla swore under her breath. How many did a person need?

Her opponent suddenly leapt across the room, clearing the table between them as if it were nothing and bearing down on her, both knives pointed at her heart. She parried one and stabbed the stolen dagger through the guard of the other right into her shocked opponents throat. Her arm stung – the second dagger had scored it, right under the arm guard. Pavla winced, dropping the stolen knife to check the wound. The blade had torn right through her shirt as though it were nothing, but the cut itself wasn’t too deep. Not a bad price to pay for winning. 

A boot caught her in the back and she stumbled forward, dropping her last blade to catch herself on the table edge. She whirled around to see two more assassins, almost identical to the first, daggers raised. Panicking, she reached wildly for a weapon, grabbed the first thing to hand to block their strikes and swept it around before her. As it connected, her assailants were thrown backwards against the wall, weapons clattering to the floor. Pavla stared. 

The sword was beautiful, intricate silvery metalwork. She hadn’t noticed before, since most of it had been stuck through the poor body on the table behind her. More intriguingly, it seemed to be split, a white glow down one edge and a black smoke wreathing the other. She quickly ran it through both stunned assassins, taking no chances. There was barely any resistance; it slid in and out of flesh like butter. The cut on her arm itched. 

“The Guildpact will definitely want a look at that once we’re back,” said a familiar voice behind her. She shot Berrim a frown. 

“Finders keepers.”

“Evidence from a crime scene.” He pulled a small device out of a pocket and held it over the body. “We need to get moving though, there are more of those assassins coming.”

“How did you get in here behind me? What is that thing? Where are we going?” He ignored her and pushed a button on top of the device. Electricity crackled out from it, enveloping the body, there was a flash, and it was gone. “No really,” she said, “what  _ was _ that?”

“I borrowed it from Ral,” he looked around the room, past the walls, eyes aglow. “We need to move.”

“I thought he didn’t like you?”

“He likes the Golgari having that body less. Follow me.” He headed back out the door, barely giving her any time to pick her fallen knives up from the dirt. She wiped them on one of the bodies by the doorway and holstered them again, cradling the sword close to her. It almost sang, a kind of magical hum she couldn’t quite make out. 

The apprentice stopped at the end of the corridor, searching the wall for something. He pushed a few pieces of carving hidden behind the moss and a door grated open. She followed him inside, the wall closing behind them. “Secret doors were definitely on my adventure to do list,” she grinned in the dark, before being hushed by Berrim. 

“There are definitely more assassins on our trail, and I’d bet they know all the secret passageways. Come on.” He pulled her gently through the tunnel, which became lighter as her eyes acclimatised. The stone quietly shone, covered in more of the glowing moss she’d seen in the marketplace, and a few luminous toadstools clung to the walls. They reached a small cave, half building, half rubble, and Pavla stared around her as he searched for the next route. The designs of the carvings were at once familiar and archaic, motifs that had carried over to the current landscape of Ravnica appearing between older guild symbols and styles. An old coin shone on the floor and she pocketed it to examine out in the sunlight, poking around in the dirt in case there were other treasures. 

“Pavla! Come on!” Berrim hissed from across the room. She sighed and hurried over, climbing over fallen bricks and tiles into the old doorway he’d found. Inside, a staircase spiralled upwards into more gloom, the only light cast by the blade she was carrying. Behind them the scrape of the hidden door echoed down the corridor ominously. They exchanged a look and sped up, stumbling over cracked and broken steps as they climbed.

Even Pavla’s legs were starting to get heavy when they reached another doorway and both hurled their weight against it, stumbling out into daylight. She glanced at Berrim. He looked like he was about to collapse. Something flickered around him as he propped himself up on a fallen pillar – perhaps the physical exhaustion even took a toll on his magic.

“Are you alright?” She reached out to pat a hand on his shoulder but he turned away. 

“Just give me a second.” Before her eyes, he seemed to solidify. She frowned. It would be hard for her to ever really understand magic, but his seemed particularly odd sometimes. 

Three more assassins burst through the doorway, humans dressed in dark browns and greens to blend with the Undercity darkness. With the apprentice catching his breath, it seemed up to her to stall them. Pavla swiped at them with the sword, driving two back as the third ducked her blade and tried to stab her, dagger slipping off her armour. Despite the slog up to the top of the stairs she felt positively invigorated; every hit that connected with her opponents seemed to give her energy back. Perhaps this was the rush of battle that the Gruul seemed to love so much. 

She swung the sword wildly at them, pushing them back, but another one got inside her guard and hit her wrists hard, making her drop her weapon. Her wounded arm flared with pain and hung heavy by her side. She reached for a knife to fend them off again but all three assassins suddenly fell to their knees and screamed. 

She looked around wildly to see Berrim still leaning on the pillar, eyes shining and hand outstretched, working some kind of magic. She realised that each assassin’s eyes were glowing that same bright blue. What was he doing to them? She grabbed the sword and shuffled over to the edge of the rubble next to him, peering down at the ground. 

“Berrim,” she said, “you know how I trusted your invisibility?”

“Yes?” His reply was short, concentration on the assassins. 

“You trust my climbing and jumping skills, right?”

“I’m not sure I like where this is going.”

“How long can you hold them?”

“Safely and without hurting anyone? Not too long. They were chosen for strength of will.”

“Time to go then.” She linked an arm with his free one and pulled him off the edge of the ruined building, prompting a yelp. Blue strands of magic burst around them. They hit something large, smelly and bristly which squealed furiously and thundered off across the landscape.

Pavla swung herself up to a sitting position, one hand buried in the giant boars fur to keep herself steady, the other cradling her sword. Beside her a very unhappy apprentice clung onto a tuft of hair and glared up at her. 

“Perhaps some more warning next time?” He pulled himself upright and looked around. They were galloping through an old area of the city that the wild had started to reclaim. Abandoned buildings lay ruined, old streets were covered in grass and plant life, and smaller, more timid animals were scampering out of their way. “Where are we going?”

“Wherever our new friend takes us,” She patted the boar, prompting a snort.

“Nope,” he leaned forward, pressing a hand to its head and concentrated. The boar suddenly changed direction. “I’m not being led into another fight with the Gruul.”

She sat up straight, staring at him. “Another?”

“Slip of the tongue.”

She narrowed her eyes, “Liar. One day I’ll make you tell me your stories.”

“They’re dull. Mostly about books. You’d fall asleep.” He was pointedly avoiding her gaze. 

Pavla raised an eyebrow and poked his arm with the sword pommel. “I bet you’ve led an interesting life. Today we dodged mad science  _ and _ evil assassins and you didn’t even blink. Is that normal for you?”

“Definitely not. I’d rather be safe in the library.” He sighed. “Going into the Undercity was a huge miscalculation. I should have known it was a trap, but I just had to keep investigating.”

“It’s possible you have a problem.” He threw her a flat look and she grinned. “But at least it was fun. And we found the body!”

He shook his head. “You could have been killed and it would have been entirely my fault. Those assassins all had poison blades.”

“Don’t be silly; one of them scratched me and I’m fine.”

He stared at her. “What? Where?”

“Just on the underside of my forearm.” She waved it at him, “stings a bit but-” He grabbed her wrist and pulled her arm toward him for inspection, making her wobble on the boar. “Hey!”

“You are... definitely poisoned,” he said slowly.

“Am not.”

He looked at her incredulously. “Have you  _ looked  _ at your arm?”

She ripped off her leather arm guard and pulled back the sleeve. “It’s just a scratch, doesn’t even hurt. See-” The mark etched down her arm had turned a horrible inky black, strands of the poison spidering out across the rest of her arm, into her flesh. She gulped. “What-?”

“I just don’t understand how you’re still upright. According to the information I picked up skimming the assassins’ minds, that stuff kills a full grown giant within a minute.” He steered the boar around some ruins, frowning to himself as they ducked under a crumbling archway. “Wait. Hand me your sword.”

“Right now? Is this really the time to quibble over evidence?” He waved an open hand impatiently at her. “ _ Fine. _ ” She dropped the handle into his palm. Searing pain suddenly flooded through her arm, making her double over, losing her grip on the boar. Her vision grew dark as she slipped downwards - and then everything cleared, as quickly as it had come. She was half hanging off the side of the animal, Berrim staring down at her, one hand holding hers around the grip of the sword and the other clutching the belt around her waist in a desperate attempt not to lose her off the side.

“So,” he said in a slightly panicked jovial tone, “That  _ may _ have been the wrong moment to test a theory.”

“ _ What was that?” _ She flailed slightly, trying to pull herself back up.

“Don’t move! Keep ahold of the sword. It’s keeping you alive.”

“Bloody hell.” She glanced down at the ground, which was flashing past at a rapid pace. “Pull me back up!”

He gritted his teeth. “I’m steering this thing still. If I let it go it might panic. Just… give me a second to multitask.”

“You’re kidding.” A hail of arrows ricocheted off the hide of the boar right next to her. “Pull me up damn you,  _ pull me up! _ ” He heaved her back up and they both lay flat, staring at each other as more projectiles whizzed overhead. “Didn’t we want to avoid  _ another _ fight with the Gruul?” she said pointedly.

He ignored the jibe and concentrated. Magic flared around them, and an exact copy of the boar and its passengers seemed to split off from them, heading off to the left. Pavla’s mouth dropped. She rolled over and sat up to watch the clan that had been chasing them hare off after the animal, weapons bristling in their hands. War cries echoed around the ruins. She looked down and wasn’t totally surprised that she could see right through herself to the ground.

“Sometimes Berrim, you’re rather useful to have around.” Tiredness set in, and she lay back and watched the clouds roll past, one hand wrapped around the sword that hummed against her. She felt exhausted.

“Only sometimes? Noted.” He faded back into view, invisibility dropping as they gained distance from the Gruul hunters. “Pavla?”

She’d just close her eyes for a while. It had been a long day and she could feel sleep beckoning like a siren call.

“Pavla, don’t. Stay with me.” She felt him prod at her arm, trying to annoy her awake. She batted his hand away sleepily. “This is how the poison sets in. Pavla. Please, you have to-”

***

She had strange dreams. Dreams of voices in her head, of a huge tree that picked her up and cradled her to its heart, tucked safe within branches and leaves. The sword sang to her, a beautiful song unlike any she’d ever heard, and she wrapped herself around it, trying to commit the tune to memory, knowing she’d never remember it when she woke.

She opened her eyes in a strange place. It was light and airy with high ceilings and plants winding around pillars. Pavla turned her head and saw a little elemental scurrying past carrying something, trailing leaves. She frowned. 

“Ah, you’re awake.” An elven woman smiled down at her, face framed in long blonde hair. “I removed the poison from your wound, but I’d suggest still taking it easy for now.” 

Pavla pushed herself upright and stared up at her. “Who are… wait, where’s my sword?”

“It was blocking Emmara’s healing magic; we had to pry it out of your vice like grip.” Berrim said from across the room, gesturing at the blade. It was propped up against the wall, smoking gently. “I expected to be punched any second for thievery.” She stuck her tongue out at him and Emmara laughed. 

“It was a good sign that you still had your strength,” she said, “though I’d recommend staying away from it until we’re sure the healing has taken and run its course.”

Pavla examined her arm. Her sleeve had been rolled back and her arm bound with linen bandages. She flexed her fingers. It didn’t seem to hurt. “Well… thanks. What do I owe you?”

“Don’t worry,” the elf said, “Berrim will just owe me a favour. He was very specific about it all being his fault.” She smiled when Pavla shot the apprentice an alarmed look. “We’re old friends, fear not.”

“Oh,” Pavla gave this some thought. “Well I’m not one to turn down a free healing. Thank you.” Emmara gave her a nod and glided off to another room, pale green dress sweeping the floor. The courier swung her legs off the simple bed she’d been left on and tottered over to sit next to Berrim on a bench that seemed to grow out of the floor. He looked quite the worse for wear, his clothes covered in dirt and boar bristles, hair awry. She must look similar. “I guess I scared you a bit there,” she said, “sorry. I really didn’t feel like I’d been got.”

“We were lucky the sword has protective properties against certain types of magic.” He regarded it curiously. “I’m sure it has other powers too. But without testing there’s no way to know.”

“Did it affect  _ your _ magic?” 

“No. but when I held it I felt like something else opened up in my mind. Maybe another branch of mana.” He tapped his lip thoughtfully. “Shame it didn’t come with a manual.” She noticed that his sleeves were rolled back, small bandages wrapped around his arms. 

“Did they get you too?” Pavla couldn’t help herself and grabbed at his wrist to examine the damage. He pulled his arm back to his chest reflexively. 

“No, I just bashed myself up during our escape. Emmara is very thorough.” He pointed at a bandage across one wrist. “This is one of many places I scraped myself when you forced me to climb up a building.”

“That doesn’t look like a scrape.” She pointed at a silvery scar that ran along his arm. 

“That’s...old.” He pulled his sleeves back down. “Nothing to do with our little adventure.”

“Looks nasty.” It looked like the kind of cut you’d inflict for maximum pain, she thought, but kept it to herself. 

“Mm.”

She shuffled down the bench to give him some more space. “You know Berrim, I think you’ve been through some shit.” She paused, allowing for a reply and got only silence. “I mean, all kinds of things happen in Ravnica what with the guilds bickering every other day. But I mean real shit. The kind that stays with a person.” Still silence. She coughed. “Anyway I guess I just want to say I’ll stop prying. You’ll tell me if you want to.” That got a reaction. He gave her a surprised glance, then raised an eyebrow, suspecting a catch. “But if anyone tries to mess with you while we’re teamed up, I’ve got your back. Alright?”

“It’s been a while since I had a blade at my back that wasn’t trying to stab it,” he mused. 

“That’s highly concerning in itself,” she said, making him snort a laugh. “I’m serious though. You saved my life bringing me here.”

“I also endangered it with my decisions.” She noticed him running a hand down the arm with the old scar. 

“But you still fixed it. You could have left me there and saved yourself.” He gave her an outraged look and she held up a hand. “The Guildpact doesn’t need me for this anymore. He’s got everything he needed out of my head. I’m just a useful pair of legs now. I’m replaceable.” He started to object again and she wagged a finger under his nose. “If you’re being cold and logical about it you know it’s true.”

“Well yes, but…”

“But you chose to help me. So I want you to know that I’ll return the favour. You’re so…” She waved a hand at him, “distrustful sometimes.”

He raised an eyebrow. “Only when you start asking personal questions. I’m amazed that your curiosity hasn’t gotten you killed long ago.”

“Well. We’re comrades now whether you like it or not.  _ Also, _ ” she added, not allowing for a reply, “you can blame Jace for putting us both in danger. He’s the one who sent us in there.” She paused. “Is he as bad as you? Hiding in a study and keeping people at a distance?”

“I wouldn’t know. We’re not close,” he said wryly. She picked up a cushion and threw it at him. 

“It's nice to see you’re making friends.” Emmara was back, standing in the doorway. “Sometimes I do worry about you; always so distant with others.” She smiled. “But of course, I would say that, coming from the Conclave.” It was hard not to see her guild stamped all over her; Emmara was clearly a mage with some great standing with the Selesnya. The guilds symbol, a great tree, was embroidered across her dress, and the little elemental Pavla had noticed upon waking was accompanied by a multitude of small friends, scurrying about the place. Some seemed to be entirely preoccupied in sweeping up the leaves all of the others dropped.

“I do appreciate you looking out for me Emmara,” Berrim said in a more humble tone than she’d ever heard him use. 

Pavla whacked him with the cushion again. “What about me? I was just almost excessively nice to you.” 

He grabbed it and placed it firmly out of reach. “We’ve known each other precisely one day.”

“And experienced enough nonsense together for a lifetime.” 

“We still haven’t found the object that was stolen. You’ve only seen the start of it.”

Pavla groaned. “Where  _ next?” _

“Probably the Rakdos.”

She planted herself face down back in the bed. “Let me know when you’re done.”

“I doubt you’d be able to resist a snoop around.” She could hear the amusement in his voice and seriously considered throwing her pillow, settling for a rude gesture instead. “Rest up,” he said. “I’m heading back, but  _ you’re _ only allowed to leave once Emmara deems you healthy. Don’t underestimate her ability to enforce bed rest. She came to pick us up with a very big elemental friend.”

“That explains some of those dreams,” she muttered into her pillow. 

***

It wasn’t long after he left that she grew restless and ventured out of her room. The little elementals skittered around her feet, seemingly unconcerned by a stranger in their home. The sword was gone – he must have been serious about keeping it away from whatever healing enchantment had been placed on her. She found a balcony that looked out over a garden and took in the view. The sun was setting overhead, lighting the sky a brilliant fire of pinks and oranges and tinting the edges of the clouds that still hung over parts of the city. 

She wished she could justify climbing a bit higher – skies like these were best enjoyed from the tallest nearby tower. She’d seen a few that would stay with her for a lifetime, and always wished she had a way to record them. Painting was not her forté. Idly she wondered if Jace could pull the memories from her subconscious and give her another way to preserve them as he seemed to have done with the crime scene, but it seemed a frivolous thing to ask of his powers. Nicer to look at than a dead body though. 

She was idly plotting a route to the roof when Emmara stepped up beside her. “Planning an escape?” The elf asked her, amusement plain in her voice. Pavla realised she’d been muttering and pointing at the various handholds she’d noted. She tucked her hands behind her back.

“Nope. No. Just… entertaining myself.” She shifted uncomfortably, feeling messy next to Emmara who seemed very… serene. That was the word for it. Nothing seemed to ruffle her. Though she looked young she was probably many times older than Pavla – elves aged more slowly and had much longer lifespans than humans. 

“Did you mean what you said to our mutual friend? About being comrades.” Emmara’s gaze upon her was intense. Pavla smelled a test. 

“Of course I did. He saved my life, whatever he might think about being responsible for the whole thing. Well. Technically  _ you _ did but…” she waved a hand. “You know what I mean. He may have decided to head into the Undercity but I  _ chose  _ to go too.”

Emmara smiled. “I’m glad. He has a nose for trouble and no sense of when to stop. It’s caused him great hurt before.”

Pavla tried putting two and two together. “Did you heal that scar down his arm?” The elf nodded. “You won’t tell me what happened, though.” A shake of the head. “Thought so.”

“Some knowledge is not worth the price, little courier.” She ran a hand down the bark of a tree that was winding its way around a pillar. “A lesson some people learn too late.” Emmara reached down fluidly to pick something up, then handed Pavla a potted plant with small, brilliantly coloured leaves. “Take this back to the Chamber of the Guildpact for me? I’m trying to brighten up the place.”

The courier blinked. “I can go?”

“Could I stop you? You have the look of a person who can’t stand to be constrained. I’ve been around long enough to recognise it.”

Pavla shuffled her feet, “Well. I probably would give sneaking out a good try.”

“Off you fly then, little bird.”

She grinned, tucked the little plant snugly into a belt pouch and leapt out into the garden onto a low, twisting tree, running up the thick branches and emerging on the rooftop. When she looked back down Emmara gave her a wave, the long sleeves of her dress fluttering in the wind. Pavla raised a hand in acknowledgement, then scaled the tower spire that crowned the house. She was in the Tenth – not far from the Chamber at all. The sun was low on the horizon and only a faint rust coloured the sky, but both moons were out tonight, spilling a cold light across the roof tiles before her. Ravnica was not a city to quiet down after sunset; lamps lit the streets with a crackling glow – an Izzet invention that hadn't caused too many injuries, after the first few at least. Night markets were setting up and the Rakdos Carnariums were always open to entertain the masses. 

She ran the rooftops back to the Chamber, an easy route across the district, dropping to pavement level to pick up some hot pies from a street vendor as she got close. She wandered through the front gate – quiet now that visiting hours were over – and slipped through the small visitors door set into the larger ceremonial ones that were carved with the guild symbols, flipping a rude gesture at the Golgari one as she passed. 

Stuffing a small pie in her mouth she headed back to the library, pushing the door open with her shoulder and stopping at the top of the steps to stare down at the carnage. It looked as though the place had been raided by the Rakdos – except for the fact that nothing was on fire. Books had been pulled from shelves and stacked haphazardly across the floor, notes on parchment stuck to some, others discarded, unwanted. There were more floating illusions; some maps, diagrams and some she could make no sense of. The sword she’d found was on the heavy wooden desk in the middle of the room on an ornate rack that held it above the table. There was an abundance of other odd looking gadgets and artifacts around it, spilling onto the floor. 

It was then that she noticed movement and finally found Jace, feverishly taking notes from a book almost as big as him in the corner of the room. She slid down the bannister and picked her way across the floor carefully, hopping book piles and weaving around chairs covered in paper, making sure she was making enough noise that she didn’t shock him with her presence, but he ignored her, engrossed. She waited a few minutes until it was clear that she wasn’t going to be acknowledged.

“What happened?” she said loudly, popping up at his shoulder. 

“Huh?” He glanced up at her and she gestured at the room. “Oh. Just research.”

“So this is normal?” She looked down at his writing. It seemed to be in code. There was a multitude of empty mugs and an ignored plate of very cold dinner next to him, which appeared to be mostly broccoli. She pulled a face. “Want a pie?”

“I don’t really have time to eat, Pavla.” He pushed the big book aside and pulled a stack of smaller volumes toward him. 

“This is a cheese pie though. Still warm.” She held the paper bag under his nose. His hand hovered over the books as his stomach growled. “Even Guildpacts need fuel.”

“Fine,” he said, picking one from the bag, “but only to keep you quiet. It’s bad enough with Lavinia chasing me around here.”

“Ah, so  _ she’s  _ the broccoli fan.” She grinned and perched on the edge of a stool that was covered in notebooks. “Are you researching my sword?”

“It is definitely not  _ your _ sword and yes, that and everything else. It’s all connected.”

She peered around the shadows of the room. “Where’s Berrim?” 

_ Studying.  _ He’d switched back to telepathy without thinking, scribbling away on his notes. She wended her way back across the room to stare at the sword. Several of the things around it pulsed in time with the white glow down one side of the blade.  _ You’d better not be thinking of touching that _ , he said, making her jump, knocking one of the books next to her off its pile. 

“Just looking!” She leaned against the table. “Who cleans this place up after you? I don’t envy them. Is it Berrim? Do you have dedicated library cleaners?”

_ This is a Sanctum, not a library. For a start it’s a private place. For another, people are not supposed to bother me in it.  _

She chose to ignore the hint. “Sounds like a fancy way of saying library, if I’m honest.”

He turned in his seat and frowned at her. “Answer me this Pavla – why would the Rakdos steal the thing this poor man was carrying?”

She shrugged. “They like nicking stuff? They do it every Havoc Festival. And they love having those as often as possible.”

“But why just this thing? Why not the sword too? If you took any time to examine it you’d know it was worth something.” 

She looked back at the blade which lay quietly smoking on the table. “Huh. Maybe someone asked them to steal that other thing?”

“Exactly. But who? Without knowing what it was it's hard to find the most likely motive. I've solved almost every other question in my mind but that one. Is it worth investigating the Rakdos or is the item long gone by now? They aren’t known for keeping visitors in one piece. You’ve already been almost fatally poisoned working on this case for me, and it was only coincidence that saved you.” He gestured at the room. “Hence, this.”

She looked around. “Did the books help?”

“A bit.” He shrugged. “They did help me identify some of the traits that sword has. It seems to have some healing ability, as well as the protection against magics, which explains why you stayed alive.”

“Oh.” She stared down at it. It was only really now sinking in how close she’d been to an agonising death. Guilt crept in. If she’d listened to Berrim and not run in alone, perhaps he’d have been able to back her up. No wonder he’d been so solemn with her. 

She noticed another blade on the table, unassuming in size, but sharing the strange smoky quality of part of her sword. “What’s that?”

There was a thump and a crashing noise behind her as she reached out to point at the dagger. “Don’t touch that!” Jace hurried over, knocking over stacks in his haste. “Do not. Touch that.”

“Yes but what is it? It looks a bit like mine.” She peered down. The sword was solid, wreathed in smoke, but this blade seemed to evaporate at its edges, dissipating into the air. 

He sighed. “The sword is not yours, remember?” She acknowledged this with a half shrug. “The two might look similar but their magical resonance is very different, thankfully. That is a manablade. You can use it to hurt a mage quite violently.”

Pavla stared down at the thing. It was hard to reconcile that fact with how tiny it seemed next to the sword. “Why would you have that?”

“Because then I know someone else doesn’t.” He picked it up with extreme care and placed it inside a sturdy looking lockbox. “Not that I  _ distrust _ you exactly, but you do have a habit of touching things first and asking questions later.”

She had to concede that he was right – the lockbox had an interesting mechanism that sealed it and her fingers itched to pick it up and take a look. That probably wouldn’t go down very well, though. Pavla tucked her hands behind her back, brushing the pouch she’d stored her latest delivery in. “ _ Oh!”  _ She pulled the potted plant out of its snug hiding place at her side. “Emmara sent you a present.”

The frown that had been on his face since she’d arrived lifted as soon as he took the plant. It occurred to Pavla that this may be the first time she’d seen a genuine smile from the Guildpact. “It’s elven basil, or a zibleaf plant. They’re lucky. Well–“ he placed it carefully on top of a stack of battered law books. “–according to popular belief. They have no inherent magical properties.”

“It’s cute.” Pavla sniffed the plant; it had a sweet, peppery aroma. “Maybe she thinks we could all use a little luck in our investigation.”

“Perhaps. Emmara has good instincts for when I’m in too deep with something.”

She frowned. “Does everyone know her except me? She called Berrim her friend too.”

“She’s the Selesnyan emissary for any cross-guild negotiations here. And I’ve known her almost as long as I can remember.” He tickled the plants leaves with a finger, considering a thought. “She tends to take in waifs and strays - she’s a generous soul.”

“Is the Living Guildpact a waif or stray? You did come out of nowhere. I remember the guilds were all aflutter about it for weeks afterwards. I think they all assumed that one of them would have the power. As usual.” She couldn’t help a little bitterness creeping into her tone. There had been a short interlude where the guilds’ influence had waned, but on the whole their rule across Ravnica had tended toward the oppressive in recent history. 

“I’ve found it best to share as little information about my personal life as possible.” He waved a finger imperiously and quoted, “‘The Guildpact should be unbiased, incorruptible and fair in his judgement.’” It sounded suspiciously like an impression of Lavinia – such ideals seemed very much in the Azorius ethos.

“‘Give then as little blackmail material as possible’?” she translated. 

“Something like that.” Across the city, bells tolled, signalling the late hour. “You should rest, Pavla. You’ve had a long day.”

She considered this, watching him head to some shelves to pick out more reading material. “ _ You’re  _ not resting _ .  _ I could help! I slept earlier anyway.”

“Falling unconscious because you were near fatally poisoned doesn’t count as sleep,” he said, filling an arm with notebooks that were stuffed full of odd bookmarks. One had a twig sticking out of it, leaf still attached. “You should go and rest before I consider using a sleep spell on you just for some peace and quiet.” He was so deadpan that she couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. “Besides, there’s a particularly good guest bathroom right next to yours. Emmara sent Berrim home with some bathing salts to help with muscle pain. You should try them. I hear they work wonders.”

The promise of a new room to explore did the trick; she found herself looking back up the stairs. “How big is the bath?”

“I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.” He had half a dozen notebooks open across a desk now, poring over pages covered in spiky handwriting.

“Fine, alright, I know you’re just playing me by using my natural investigative instincts-“

“-nosiness-“

“-against me. But I’ll go. Here-“ She dropped the paper bag in her hand next to him. “If you’re staying up late you better have the last cheese pie. They’re an excellent research aid.” Before he could argue she shot up the stairs and out into the hallway. 

Back in the sanctum Jace watched her go, then took a bite out of the pie and smiled to himself. He picked up a pen and resumed writing, brushing pastry crumbs off the pages every now and again. 

***

The bathroom was everything her tired body had ever dreamed, equipped with a huge copper bath and a shower, both plumbed directly into the hot water provided by the Izzet. She’d washed the grime off her first, dumping her clothes into a basket that sat by the door, marvelling at how much dirt had clung to her in that short time in the Undercity. Now she sank deep into a mountain of bubbles, feeling an ache she hadn’t fully acknowledged leave her limbs. She unwound the bandage from her arm and peered at the healing wound. Emmara’s magic had done its work, leaving what looked like a week old scratch, with no trace of the black poison that now seemed like a bad dream. She ran a finger across it, feeling a slight tenderness in the raw skin. Pavla hadn’t had to pay for many healings in her lifetime, but she knew incredible skill when she saw it. It was lucky that the elf was a friend of Berrim’s - this kind of work would probably have cost her a few weeks earnings.

She sank below the waterline, her short hair floating around her like a dark halo. The water was soothing; it clung to her like a warm blanket that she didn’t want to leave. Her mind wandered. What would they do tomorrow? Berrim had mentioned the Rakdos but it was possible he’d found another lead after leaving Emmara’s. She wasn’t sure how she felt about visiting the Rakdos outside of an entertaining Carnarium visit, and even then those were pretty hairy. There were a few venues that decent upstanding citizens just never talked about. 

She surfaced, grabbed a towel to roughly dry her hair and wrapped another huge fluffy one around her. She could get used to this level of luxury - back home the bath was a quick affair and her towels were scratchy and old. She’d never found the time or money to replace them. 

Pavla shrugged on a bathrobe a little too long for her and dashed into her room, collapsing back onto the bed. She pulled the blankets up around her to make a nest and snuggled in to try to retain the warmth from the bath. She may have been banned from the library but she could still go over everything in her head here. The trick was just to not fall asleep. 

***

She woke to the sunshine spilling in through the small window and stared at the ceiling for a while, confused. The bathrobe had twisted around her and the blankets were in disarray. She pushed her way out of the bed and sat on the edge, legs dangling, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. What time was it? Why had no one woken her? Outside the sun was bright and high, implying she had slept in. She recalled Jace saying she needed to rest - what if he’d sent Berrim out without her? That was enough to propel her upright. She pulled on fresh clothes and did her best to sort out her bed head, then hurried off to the library. 

When she opened the door it was dark inside, curtains pulled over the windows. She leaned over the railing at the top of the stairs and squinted into the shadows. Jace was passed out at his desk on a pile of books, still holding his pen, halfway through a coded sentence. Someone had draped a blanket over him. 

A hand clapped on her shoulder and she yelped as she was dragged back out of the room. Lavinia frowned down at her. “The Guildpact is not to be disturbed,” she said in a tone that brooked no argument. 

Pavla tried to peer back into the room. “Does that happen often?” The Arrester merely stood in her way, arms crossed. “Alright alright. Is Berrim around?”

“No. I suggest if you need to be entertained you seek amusement outside the Chamber.” 

Her stomach growled. “What about breakfast?”

“The kitchens are on the ground floor.” Lavinia stared at her impassively until she sidled away down the hallway. Once the courier was out of sight she sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Some days I’m less an Arrester and more a babysitter,” she muttered.

***

Pavla procured herself a picnic breakfast from the kitchens, which she discovered were small but busy, with a huge stone hearth that must have been many times older than her. She was in and out as quickly as possible, avoiding being mistaken for staff and given work she wouldn’t be particularly good at. She grabbed a book from the small stack of shelves in her room and headed to the roof, nestled up against a chimney that provided a little warmth through it’s brickwork and started to read, popping fresh bread and cheese in her mouth as she went. The city hummed away below her and she settled into the story. 

It was a crime novel set in old Ravnica, with a disgraced Boros captain turned private detective racing against time to track down a serial killer. The story was predictable but entertaining, and she found herself engrossed. He was about to confront the main suspect - who had kidnapped his wife - when Jace’s voice sounded in her head, almost making her fall off her perch.

_ Pavla? _

“Argh!” She clung to the chimney for a second, trying to bring her heart rate down to normal levels. “Do you  _ mind _ ?”

_ Wait… are you on the  _ roof?

“I was reading! You scared the life out of me.”

Wry amusement trickled down their connection.  _ I’m sorry, are you telling me that our roles are now reversed?  _ I  _ am bothering  _ you _ while you try to read? _

_ _ _ Stupid mind reading mages,  _ she thought to herself, sliding back down the roof.

_ I can hear you. _

_ _ _ I know,  _ she swung into the window she’d left open.  _ Does this mean I’m finally allowed to visit? _

_ I wanted to talk to you.  _ There was a pause.  _ ...Finally? _

_ Lavinia wouldn’t let me in earlier. _

_ _ _ She’s good like that. _

She reached the sanctum doors and eyeballed the Azorius guard that Lavinia must have left outside, which was a lot of effort, considering he was a full foot and a half taller than her. “I was summoned,” she sniffed, daring him to challenge her. The Vedalken gestured her an invitation to enter.

The curtains were thrown back now, daylight filling the room, but the stacks of clutter still provided an interesting obstacle course for her. Jace was still at his desk, standing now, sorting books into piles. He pushed a stack towards her. “Can you move these over to that bookshelf?” 

She pulled a face. “Did you just almost drop me off the roof so I could help you reshelve your library?” 

“No, but, while you’re here…” His attention had already shifted to some of the odd artifacts strewn across the desk, putting them back into soft velvet lined boxes. “We have to wait for Lavinia anyway; she’s bringing me something important.” That sounded promising. She scuttled over to the area he’d indicated and dropped the books carefully onto a pile already there. Blue lines appeared in the air, springing from each volume to a point on the shelf. She turned and frowned at him. “Really?”

“Everything has a specified place. How else is a person supposed to find anything?” he said, stacking more books on the desk.

Pavla picked up the top one and eyed the shelf. “What if I put one back somewhere else?”

_ “I’ll know _ .” His tone of voice was ominous, and when she glanced back, he gave her a sinister look over the table, eyes flaring blue. She sighed and put each book in its place on the shelf, hoping Lavinia would appear soon because she didn’t particularly fancy helping him reshelve everything he’d pulled off the shelves last night - it seemed like half the library had moved to the floor.

She’d just reached the bottom of the pile when Lavinia entered, eyeing the mess with a weary look as she reached the bottom of the steps. She gathered up her long cloak so as not to get it caught on anything and made her way to the desk at the centre. “There  _ has  _ to be a better way to do research,” she said to Jace, “this is… ridiculous.”

He shrugged. “You know I had to cover all my bases.”

“Next time, please do so more neatly.”

“Perhaps I could hire some researchers again. I’d need to screen them thoroughly though.” His eyes narrowed. “No room for any spies.”

She sighed, and pulled a scroll from her belt, holding it out to Pavla. “For you.” 

The courier took it, staring down at it in confusion. It was an Azorius law document, and like everything the Azorius dealt with, was extremely wordy. “Er…”

“Pavla Kozav, you have been found innocent of any crime and are now free to go.” Lavinia waved a hand and law magic flared around Pavla’s feet. “The tracking spell placed on you upon becoming a suspect has now been removed.”

“Tracking what?”

“How do you think Berrim found you by the Golgari Guildgate?” Jace said. She shrugged. “You helped prove yourself innocent.” He frowned at her. “You should be jumping for joy right now.”

“I… suppose didn’t expect it.” She blinked down at the scroll. “What about everything else?”

“You’re freed from any obligations regarding our investigation. Go, live your life. Have some fun.” He waved a hand toward the outside world. “Eat some more pastries. Run some more rooftops.”

“I was… kind of enjoying myself here.” She gripped the scroll tight. She didn’t particularly want to leave. She wanted to see how things played out, and she honestly had enjoyed the past few days, once the shock had worn off. “What about Berrim? I told him I’d have his back.”

Jace shrugged. “He knew you’d be leaving once we’d found you innocent; it won’t be a surprise. Unless you want to stay and sort my library…?” Lavinia coughed. “Or not.”

“Guildpact, you need to clean up your own messes,” she said. Jace pulled a face.

“Can I not…  _ volunteer  _ to help with the rest of the investigation?” Pavla said.

He sighed. “Even if I was happy endangering you again, Lavinia would never allow it.” The Arrester nodded. “I cannot go around using citizens as minions. That’s… morally questionable, for a start.” He noticed her glum face. “You can take the book you’re reading with you, if that helps.” She couldn’t help but let out a quiet laugh at that. 

“Fine. I guess I’ll pack up.” She shuffled toward the stairs then turned and raised a joking eyebrow. “You’re not going to wipe my memory of all this, are you? Super secret Guildpact investigation protocol or something.”

They exchanged a long look, flickers in expressions indicating a conversation. Then, “I don’t think that will be necessary.” Jace said.

“I was  _ joking _ ,” she said, aghast. “Could you  _ do that _ ?”

He smiled. “You’ll never know.”

***

Pavla dumped everything into her courier’s satchel and stared around the room. She’d only stayed here two nights but it was strange thinking that it was already over. Back to her mother - who probably hadn’t noticed anything was amiss yet, as sometimes she was away a few days on jobs. She’d have a story to tell, at least. 

She slung the bag onto her back, adjusted the short cape around her shoulders and headed out to the back entrance so as to avoid the crowds that usually gathered for day to day business, pausing to run a hand through the fountain.

“Congratulations on your escape.” She jumped; a translucent Berrim had appeared right in front of her. He smiled. “No more apprentice mages slowing you down on jobs.”

“Only mages who actually show up get goodbyes,” she said, flicking water at the illusion. It quickly dissipated, blue streaks of magic wisping away in the wind.

“Fine,” said a voice behind her. “Real couriers first.”

She turned and grinned at him. “Thanks for keeping me alive,” she said.

“I was coming to say the same to you. Though, I won’t miss the boar rides.” He ran a hand through unruly hair. “I scrub and scrub but I’m sure I still smell like wild pig.”

She laughed, forgetting her low mood for a second, then grew solemn again. “Well, take care of yourself, I guess. And thanks for showing me some cool and often necessary magic.” She struck a dramatic pose, one hand raised. “Especially that counterspell. Bam!”

That prompted a smile. “I’m not used to people being complimentary about my magic so it’s nice to hear that it makes me cool.”

“Oh, no. You’re still just a giant bookworm. It was all the spell.” That prompted a sigh.

“Set myself right up for that,” he said. “Well. Goodbye Pavla. I’ll call on you next time I need my ego checked.”

“Lavinia probably does have my address on file…” she paused, dropping the banter for a second. “But seriously, if you need a courier or adventuring buddy again, just call.” She adjusted her bag strap, and headed toward the gates. When she turned back to wave, he had gone.


	4. A Mutual Trade of Knowledge

It was depressingly easy to go back to her normal life. Courier jobs were easy to find, and she raced back and forth across the city, delivering messages, goods and once, a small pet cat. It wasn’t that she needed to make up the money - Lavinia had handed her a large bag of zinos as her agreed fee for her services - but rather that the fresh air and relative quiet up on the rooftops helped her process things. It bothered her that they had never found the item the body had been holding. She hated leaving a mystery unsolved. And there was no one she could really talk it over with. She’d told her mother about most of it - leaving out the parts where she’d been in mortal peril so it all seemed a grand adventure proving her innocence - but if she’d complained that she hadn’t been kept on the case she knew the response would be the same one she’d had in the Chamber. That it was for the best. That is was safer for her to leave. Perhaps there had never even been an object in his hands. Perhaps she’d imagined it.

She sighed, dropping down to street level and handing over an envelope to a jewel merchant dressed in silks a little too tight for him who had paid her to check some prices across the city. She was tired, overthinking things and needed to rest. She took her payment and wandered through the District aimlessly, looking for something to distract her. It was getting dark, and the lights and rowdy sounds of a bar pulled her in. Perhaps a drink wouldn’t hurt.

It was still relatively early in the evening, so the bar wasn’t too busy. She got a seat and ordered a clear plum brandy which warmed her throat nicely as it went down. She’d just ordered herself a second when someone sat next to her.

“Courier girl? What are you doing in my local?” She exchanged surprised looks with Guildmage Zarek, who looked her up and down critically. “You look glum. Did they lay you off?”

“Yes. No. Both? I got proven innocent.” She picked up the second brandy and downed it. “Congratulations me.”

“You sound very cheerful about it.” He propped his head on his hand and regarded her curiously. He was in similar clothes to the ones he’d been wearing before - guild colours, nice quality fabrics, but this time without all of the additional machinery attached. Either he felt safe here, or he was perfectly capable of defending himself without an extra tank of lightning. She’d put money on the latter. “You still owe me four pastries, by the way,” he said offhandedly. “But I’ll accept a drink in lieu. Of  _ each  _ pastry, to be clear.” She threw him a flat look. “Oh, come on. It’ll cheer you up.”

“Buying  _ you _ drinks will cheer  _ me _ up?”

“Absolutely. You can’t prove me wrong without trying.” She was treated to a winning smile. “Besides, it’s not good to drink alone. You should keep me around.”

After two brandies it wasn’t particularly advisable to argue with an Izzet scientist, so she gave up and just ordered them both some drinks. Zarek downed two fruit brandies in quick succession, then got her to order him a beer, playing with the glass as they talked. He drew shapes in the condensation on the sides as she explained that they’d found the body and its unusually powerful murder weapon, allowing her to walk glumly free. 

“I mean, it’s for the best that you’re not working with Beleren any more, believe me,” he said. “Get involved in his messes and you’re lucky to come out in one piece.”

“You’re just saying that because you don’t like him,” Pavla waved a third brandy at him. “Why is that anyway? Were  _ you _ in one of his messes?”

“I was in my research project, minding my own business, thank you very much.” Ral took a swig of his beer and frowned at it. “He just turned it into his mess. Then his Guildpact, I suppose.”

Her mouth dropped. “You were the Izzet mazerunner, weren’t you?” The look he gave her could have killed someone with a weak heart. “Sorry, I wasn’t even there. I was on a job across the other side of the city, I only heard bits.”

He sighed, spinning his beer glass around on the wooden bar. “I suppose it didn’t matter that much to you. No Guild, less of a stake in it. The Maze was  _ my  _ project. I failed. I’m lucky I wasn’t eaten by Niv Mizzet.”

She stared at him. “Does that really happen?”

“Perks of a dragon Guildmaster.” He took a drink. “The point is that you’re better off without him ruining your life.”

“That’s dramatic.” She frowned down at the bar. The wood was old, scratched and stained through years of use. “Why did you help us? You even lent Berrim a device.”

“There are some things that are more important than my opinion.” He raised a hand. “Very few, mind you.” 

“There are crimes all across the city every day. Why did you help with our investigation?”

“Well, Beleren owes me a favour now, doesn’t he?” He winked at her. “Not a bad thing. And as a perk I got several snacks and drinks on top of that.” She wasn’t sure she completely bought that explanation, but it seemed the only one she was getting. She supposed a favour from the Guildpact was pretty valuable for a Guildmage. 

“I should be happy. I’m not in prison. I’m alive. But…”

He raised an eyebrow in query. 

“It just really bothers me that I’ll never know why it all happened. Who killed him? What for? Why can’t I stay on in the investigation?”

“Why fret so much over Beleren’s investigation when you can just do your own with less bureaucracy?” She stared at Zarek, who shrugged. “If you want something done… do it yourself.”

“What? But…”

He leaned forward conspiratorially. “What’s stopping you, courier girl?”

“I can’t imagine the Boros and Azorius would appreciate an amateur snooping in their business.”

“If the investigation is still ongoing Beleren will be keeping it quiet so that he can work on it. You won’t run into any overenthused law types. Next.”

“I don’t have any information - it’s all at the Chamber.” 

“You saw the crime scene and found the body. You can theorise from there. Use your brain. Next?”

“I… I don’t have any magic. How would I defend myself against half the city?”

“Not a great excuse. It’s not like magic is hard to come by. Next.”

She snapped. “You think I can just go hire a couple of mages willing to risk themselves for me? I’m not some rich Orzhov.”

“I think that maybe if you buy me that fourth drink I’ll consider helping you myself.” He waved an empty glass at her.

Pavla stared. “You would? Why?” He tapped the glass meaningfully and she sighed, pushing some more coins over the bar. “You’re a high ranking Guildmage. Why would you help a guildless courier?”

“I’ll admit to being curious as to what all the fuss is about.” He grinned at her, the lights of the bar casting flickering shadows across his face. “So come on courier girl, are you in, or not?”

She hesitated. The brandy had all gone to her head. She’d ordered more every time she’d bought him a drink… how many had she had? The bar was loud now, filling up with mostly Izzet guild members who had left their labs for an evening out. It was hard to think straight over the laughter and occasional explosions. 

Someone pushed a glass of water in front of her. She looked up at Zarek, who sighed. “Perhaps I pushed a bit too far,” he said. “Plus, it looks like you’re a lightweight.”

“ _ Hey.”  _ She wobbled on her chair in outrage. 

He put out a hand to steady her on the stool. “Seems like a confidence issue to me. You keep throwing problems up because you don’t believe you can pull this off. And that’s not the only thing you’ll be throwing up unless you drink that water.”

She did as he said, sulking over the glass rim at him. “A good drinker knows when to hydrate,” he tipped the bottom of the glass up with a finger, forcing her to finish it. “Basic science.”

“Sounds suspiciously Simic to me.” 

“Never challenge one of them to a drinking contest. Ever. Anyway.” He cut her off as she opened her mouth to ask quite why that was the case. “I’ll tell you a little story. There’s a cocktail you can order in this bar. It’s off the menu, but nearly everyone here knows it. They mix blue and white spirits that react in a way that looks like storm clouds. And they hire someone low ranked from my guild who needs the extra cash to put a little bolt of lightning through it. It’s called the Thousand Year Storm, and it’s named after the same one that rolls over Ravnica every day of the year.” He jabbed a finger up at the sky. She followed the gesture, looking up at the ceiling for a second. “That’s  _ my storm _ ,” he said proudly. “The culmination of years of research and study. I created it because I was chosen by my Guildmaster for the project; because I’m the best at what I do. And now I have a drink named after it.”

Pavla frowned. She wasn’t quite sure where this was going. Zarek ignored her expression. 

“Do you know how I got to that point?” She shook her head. “Do you think I was born into the League? That I got my chances through politics and connections?” He didn’t let her reply, slamming a fist on the bar. “No! I worked hard for this. Harder than anyone. Sure, I have an abundance of ability, but someone less determined wouldn’t have used it the way I have. I worked my ass off to rise within the Izzet because that was what I wanted. It’s where I knew I belonged.” He paused to take a drink. “The point being: if you want to do something you have to seize it with both hands and work as hard as you can. That’s what makes genius, that’s what puts you in the history books, and if you want to crack this case, it’s what you need to do too. No more half arsing things. Do it right, or regret it.”

She stared at him. “You’re right. I’m not going to find anything out going back to running gossip across the city.” Zarek nodded to himself in satisfaction. “But were you serious about helping?”

“I don’t know if I’d call it helping. More a mutual trade of knowledge. Talking of exchange, my drink is empty.”

“I got you the four you were owed, you cheat. Don’t think I wasn’t counting.” 

He rolled his eyes dramatically and ordered a handful of little glasses of brandy, lining them up in front of them. “Right, well. Before I even think about lending you a hand let’s see what we have to work with.” He pushed one brandy a little out of line. “You saw the body. You saw something sticking in his back which you later verified was some kind of magical weapon.” He moved a second glass behind the first. “But you’re sure he was holding something.” A third glass, moved in front. “Why.”

“He was curled around something in his hands, and if he was protecting it.”

Zarek picked up the third glass and examined it. “But you didn’t see what.”

She shrugged. “Well… no.”

“And why was that?”

“I told you, I got arrested almost immediately.”

“But you saw the sword. That implies to me that the item was small enough that you couldn’t get a good look. If it was the size of the sword even a confused courier couldn’t miss it. So it must have been obscured.”

Details seemed to come back, vague memories. “...I think you’re right. It was in his hands.”

He put down the glass and put his hands one next to the other on the bar. “So the item we’re looking for can’t be much larger than this.” He shot her much smaller hands a glance. “Not a very reliable measurement but still. An estimate.”

“He was a smaller kind of person. It’s probably closer to mine,” she said, holding them up to compare. 

“Moving on - if it has been swiped by someone it must have value in some way. Considering he was killed by what sounds like a very powerful sword and that was overlooked, I’d theorise that it’s not a weapon, or they’d have taken both. Another kind of valuable artifact perhaps.”

“The city is full of small powerful devices. Mostly thanks to your guild.”

“Ah, but he wasn’t Izzet, or Beleren would have come around asking different questions. No, this will look different.” He looked down at the glasses, lined up. “Well, there’s a few things we won’t need to worry about. The sword is at the Chamber.” He downed one glass. “And probably won’t be leaving any time soon. So is the body.” A second glass emptied too. Pavla wondered if any of these were for her. Probably not. He squinted at the third one. “The missing item is our target. And it’s been on a journey.” He paused. “Well, that hasn’t actually been verified. All we truly know is that it was definitely with the body when you first saw it. Everything else is speculation.” 

They threw theories back and forth for a few hours, getting wilder as the brandy vanished. She could already tell that working with him would be very different to working with Jace. They were both intense in their own way when they got fixed on a mystery, but Jace was private, keeping everything locked up in his head until he wanted to share. Zarek threw theories out left right and centre, even when they were plainly ridiculous, humming with an energy that mirrored the lightning he loved to work with. His enthusiasm was infectious, and Pavla found herself feeling much more optimistic about life as she collapsed into her rented room nearby. 

***

She woke in the morning expecting a hangover and was blessed with only a little tiredness from staying up late. “Hydrate!” she said, waving her hands in a mock impression. “Guess he was right.” Not that she would tell him that. 

When she sat up a napkin fell out of her sleeve with an address scrawled on it and ‘bring breakfast!!!’ underlined twice. She groaned and flopped back onto the pillow. A courier shouldn’t complain about errands, but getting one as soon as you woke was pushing it. She gradually extracted herself from the bed - cheap but comfortable - and wandered the room, finding her discarded clothes and boots from when she was drunkenly hopping around last night trying not to sleep fully dressed. Impromptu drinking nights like these were when she was most glad of her habit of bringing a change of clothes with her on longer jobs. You never knew when you’d be sidetracked. 

Half an hour later she was washed, dressed and out walking the streets of the Izzet District again. She pulled out the napkin. The address scrawled across it was Empty Cup Row, an old abandoned area the Izzet often used for more explosive experiments. She made her way back to the rooftops and hurried over there, keeping an eye out for breakfast along the way. 

***

The street wasn’t hard to find - she always bore it in mind when traversing the area because no one wanted to run an exploding rooftop. Pavla dropped down to street level and pulled the napkin out again, trying to read numbers on doors. Every building here used to be housing and the occasional shop, and many still had the trappings of normal life scattered around them. A cutesy house name here, a dead window box there. Most of them now had fire damage and in one case, the entire top three floors missing. Another area was entirely rubble, with some plants reclaiming the area - probably a Selesnyan initiative.

She matched the scrawl on the napkin to an address in the middle of the street. It looked no different to the other run down houses beside it; chipped paintwork and cracked windows stacked upwards over at least five floors. She headed up the steps and poked the door. It swung open with an untended creak. The hallway behind was very small and immediately led to a set of stairs. There was a door on the ground floor but it was blocked with rubble and what she could only assume was Izzet trash - old pieces of tarnished metal and broken tools. While most of the building seemed run down the stairway was actually well kept, showing signs of repair in places. It was bare wood, so her ascent to the next floor was heralded with squeaks, groans and the  _ tak, tak _ of her boots hitting each step. 

“Courier girl! You came!” Guildmage Zarek was decidedly too fresh for a man who had been up most of the night in a bar. He waved her hurriedly into the room and she stared around the place - it had been fully stripped of any homeliness and converted into a rough workshop. Unlike the one she’d seen in Nivix which had clearly been custom built, this was cobbled together from whatever the occupant could find. A dining table and several smaller coffee tables had been repurposed for project work, a cupboard for storage and an old oven seemed to be hooked up to some kind of strange invention. 

“Pavla. You know you’ll have to start using my actual name if we’re working together?” she said. 

He gave this a brief second of thought. “I think you’re right.  _ You  _ can call me ‘Your Benevolence, Most Generous Guildmage Zarek.’” He flourished a bow, which earned him a flat look. “But I suppose you can call me Ral.” Pavla’s expression remained frozen in uncertainty, wondering what exactly she’d agreed to by showing up here. He grinned. “Lighten up, courier girl.”

She sighed and tossed a paper bag at him, which he caught deftly in mid air. “Pavla,” she said, determined to correct him until he got it right.

“Breakfast as requested!” He opened the bag excitedly, plucking out the meat pastry she’d picked up on her way. “Perhaps you won’t be such a bad assistant after all. My last one could never quite get things right. Including staying in one piece.”

“I figured a  _ burek _ was a pretty good hangover cure,” she said, biting into her own, “But you look pretty chipper.” She paused. “Wait… assistant?”

“As long as you’re in this lab, or using my stuff, I’m deputising you as an assistant.” He pointed dramatically at her over the table. “It means you do as I say.” She raised an eyebrow. “Mostly for your own sake. When I say ‘duck!’, you don’t just cringe downwards a few inches, you throw yourself flat on the floor. When I say ‘put that down, you don’t know what it does’, you put it down and avoid implosion.”

“And when you leave me a note that says ‘breakfast’ on it…” she pulled the napkin from her sleeve. “You know, I’ve heard that multiple exclamation marks are the sign of an unstable mind.”

“I wouldn’t be a particularly good Guildmage without one.” He swallowed the last of his breakfast, rolled up his sleeves and refitted the mechanism that she’d first seen strapped to his arm in Nivix. It looked like some kind of storage or power augmentation device, but she wasn’t sure which, or if she’d get an answer if she asked. Ral was unpredictable, and she definitely hadn’t known him long enough to start prodding at him. Plus, he could electrocute her on a whim.

He strolled over to the far wall, raised his hands and gestured dramatically. Magic flared, electric blue so bright she squeezed her eyes shut reflexively, and the wall opened outwards in sections. The whole length of the room had been converted into a hidden storage area, filled with racks of weird and wonderful inventions. Pavla ran up next to him to take a look. “Wow,” she said. “What  _ is _ all this?”

“Everything I ever invented on my way to the top,” he waved a hand expansively down the rows of gadgets. “It seemed a good idea to keep hold of everything. This was the only area I could stash it all, but I’m working on a more permanent abode.”

“So, did you make it? To the top? Your lab was pretty high up… altitude wise.” She peered at a gadget that looked like something the Boros would confiscate immediately. 

“By definition ‘the top’ is Guildmaster, so no,” he said, perching nimbly on a tabletop as she explored.

She laughed. “Well, your Guildmaster is your Parun and basically an immortal dragon, right? I’d say the top would be his second in command, if you’re being practical.”

“No one really knows how long a true dragon lives and Niv-Mizzet is, of course, tight lipped on the subject.” Ral picked up an odd-looking tool and spun it in his hands. “I’ve been Head Researcher on several projects the old lizard took personal interest in, so I suppose you could say I’m close.”

“I can’t believe someone like  _ you _ is helping someone like  _ me _ .” She spun on her heel and scrutinised him. “Is this just to mess with Jace?”

He sighed and waved a hand dismissively. “Equipping you with magical defense doesn’t hinder him in the slightest. I need several projects on the go or I get  _ bored _ . I just had to shut a big one down, so I need something new. Stop reading into it and hand over your knives so I can get a look at them.”

The subject change caught her off guard, and she dutifully produced them for inspection. He frowned down at them, took one and ran his gauntleted hand across it, lightning fizzing across the steel. He dropped it back into her hands without looking - Pavla had to grab the hilt very quickly as it fell - and wandered off towards the shelves, his attention split between their contents and the data that appeared above his outstretched hand. He gestured for her to follow, and as soon as she’d scampered up to him used her free hands to carry gadgets selected by some unknown logic to the workstation set up in the centre of the room. He  _ was _ talking the entire time, but any words Pavla caught didn’t mean much to her - she caught a few, like ‘electro-ballast’, ‘manasink’ and ‘arcspinner’ and was still none the wiser.

Once everything was arranged on the table, Ral seemed satisfied. He pulled out a battered notebook and pen, scribbling faster than she could read peering over his shoulder, and ripped the paper out with a flourish, holding it right in front of her nose. She plucked it from his hands and read her way down the list. It seemed to mostly be mechanical parts. “Pop out and bring me these,” he noticed - and ignored - her unimpressed stare. “And a coffee. Two coffees. Fill this.” An odd looking cup with a lid was pushed her way. When she didn’t move he shot her an imperious frown. “And here I thought you were a promising assistant.”

“I’d rather like an explanation. What is all this for?”

“I thought that was obvious from what I picked up,” he said, ignoring her complete lack of a scientific background, “It’s in your best interest to go get it all as soon as possible.” A mizzium gadget attached to a small canister was plucked from the table, and he started taking it apart, carefully setting pieces in piles. “Off you go.”

Pavla gave up and headed back out the door. Clearly part of the assistant role was not asking questions.

***

It didn’t take her long to find the parts; she’d been on similar errands for other Izzet League members who were too engrossed to leave their work, so she knew the places to go and the people to ask, grumpily handing over her own money for everything, as Ral hadn’t provided any. She’d considered asking him for some on the way out but the look he gave her for pausing in the doorway had put paid to any further questions. She wasn’t sure if it was possible to fire lightning out of your eyeballs but if anyone could, it was him. 

At least it was a nice day to be out in the city - the air was fresh, blue sky was peeping through the dark clouds of what she now knew was Ral’s ever present storm, and the wind was blowing most of the suspiciously thick black smoke from the Izzet buildings away from her. She dropped down to street level again, sliding down the rooftops and landing lightly on the cobbles, and wandered into a cafe. She pulled Ral’s strange cup out of her bag. It seemed thick walled with a smaller inside, which didn’t make a lot of sense to her. And it was made of metal, which would surely heat up. She sighed. Izzets and their attachment to mizzium. 

Pavla dutifully ordered two eye wateringly strong coffees and tipped them inside, waiting for something strange to happen. The coffee remained black, the cup silent. She frowned down at it. That was a bit of a let down, to be honest. She screwed the lid on, which had an odd seal on the inside, wrapped the cup in a spare scarf to keep it warm and squished it into her bag, which was bursting with odd little packets of parts. Empty Cup Row wasn’t too far from here - she’d picked a cafe close by so she wasn't held accountable for cold coffee by a caffeine-starved scientist - so she slung the bag carefully over her shoulder and headed down the road at street level. This was a quieter part of the city so the cobblestone street wasn’t a pain to navigate for someone used to a rooftop all to herself. 

As she walked, a few obviously panicked assistants of various shapes and sizes ran up past her toward the shops she’d visited deeper into the District. This work was where a lot of new guild members started out, unless you had an encouraging mad uncle who was already a Guildmage. The Izzet valued personal ability above all else - unlike other guilds like the Orzhov where you could literally buy your way to the top - and one of the best ways to get noticed was to be involved in experiments that produced notable results. Unfortunately the person who decided what was and was not notable was an unfathomable ancient dragon, so apprentices just did their best to get hired and hoped their mentors were brilliant enough to help them up the ladder. She’d heard that half of all new Izzet League members exploded within the first 3 months but she was sure it was an urban myth. Probably. It couldn’t be more than a third, or the guild would be unsustainable.

***

When she returned to the tumbledown lab the inside looked completely different. Ral seemed to have disassembled and reassembled several inventions in quick succession and parts were strewn around tables in what first seemed like chaos, but that she quickly realised had a logic to it. Similar parts were grouped together for reuse, and on other tables they seemed to be awaiting assembly. He glared at her grumpily from behind a pile of gadgetry.

“Do you have any idea how irritating this is without an assistant to hand me things?” She ignored the complaint and deposited the parts he’d requested neatly next to him, then carefully pulled out the cup. It was cold. She held it up and frowned - she’d only walked five minutes from the cafe to here. Before she could say anything he grabbed it off her. 

“Hey! If it’s gone cold I can go out for more.”

“Don’t be foolish.” He removed the lid and took a swig, “This keeps the heat in. I’d be a poor scientist if I couldn’t keep one drink warm. Now hand me your knives again.” 

Pavla did so, then sat, peering down at the steam that came out of the cup. “How did you-?”

“Not explaining.” He was attaching something to one of the knife handles, around the hilt and down the grip. She sat and watched him work, rapt. Ral was fast and obviously had everything already planned out in his head. He was grabbing parts from the table without even taking his eyes off the work in front of him; screwing something in here, soldering things together with a spark that leapt from his fingertips. One blade was quickly adapted and placed on the table in front of her. He fixed her with a look that froze her in place. “Do NOT touch that yet. You might trigger it by accident.”

“Trigger it?” She stared down at what had been a simple knife she’d bought years ago to help with self defence. The handle was now trademark Izzet mizzium, with a glowing blue glass pommel that - when she looked closer - seemed to pulse with power. The hilt was bigger, chunkier, and she wondered what he’d hidden inside. After that death glare she’d received though… Pavla sat on her hands to avoid the temptation of poking it to see what happened. The second knife was also quickly adapted - this time the hilt gained two glass orbs embedded in the mizzium, one either end. Ral held the blade up to the light critically, then smiled. Electricity cracked around his hand and the glass hummed awake, filling with light.

“I,” he said, “Am a genius, and if I ever doubt this fact, I need only look back to this moment to confirm it.” He paused. “Wait, no, there were plenty of other moments too. This is just the most recent.” Pavla cocked her head to the side, unsure if she was allowed to interrupt or if this was a kind of mad scientist monologue. She put her money on the latter.

He slid the knives handle first towards her. “With these, I’m lending you just enough of my power to stay alive.” He pointed at the first knife. “Lightning,” His finger moved to the second. “Countermagic.”

“You can counter spells too?” Pavla forgot that she was supposed to be keeping her cool and rocked forward on her chair. “Like Berrim?”

He raised an eyebrow and harrumphed. “Not like  _ him _ . My own brand, thank you very much.” She reached for the knives and he pulled them just slightly too far away. “You need to be taught how to use these or you’ll cause me problems. If you create an incident and get these confiscated I’ll deny all knowledge of you and say you stole them.”

“Alright alright,” Pavla waved a hand dismissively. “I get it. I need to be careful.”

“Just making it as explicit as possible that you’re on your own out there. I’m not babysitting you like Beleren did.” He picked up the first knife and aimed the glowing pommel in her direction. “You have no innate links to mana so I’ve stored power in each blade. You only have a limited number of shots before you need to recharge them. So don’t use them recklessly.” She reached out to take it, and he pulled it back out of reach, leaping off his perch to stride out into the centre of the room. Pavla sighed. “Using magic requires ability and intent.” Ral’s voice had taken on a lecturing tone now - it felt like she was back at school learning her numbers. “You,” he pointed the knife at her, “have no ability, so you engage the device by pressing  _ here _ to draw on the power. Then you’ll need to use your intent to give it instruction.”

She crossed her arms. “Is this just an excuse to tell me over and over again how I have no talent?”

That earned her a look so judgmental that she shrank back slightly. “I’m trying to explain this properly and with small words,” he said, finally handing her the dagger. “It’s not something I’m used to doing. I  _ do,  _ I don’t teach.” She examined the weapon in her hand, running a fingertip over the button that triggered it. It sounded easy, but it probably was to someone like him. Ral picked up the second dagger and spun it around in his hand. “This one works similarly, but you’ll need to practise. Countermagic isn’t quite the same as weaponised lightning - you need to be specific in what you’re stopping.”

“For example?” She held out her hand for the dagger.

He sighed. It seemed that explaining was more effort than it had taken to build the things. “You’ll counter something differently if it is a direct attack on you, a spell that affects an area, a conjured creature…” He waved a hand expansively, “The list goes on. For now, we practise.” 

She followed him across the building, stepping over the rubble of walls that had been demolished and down some wonky stairs to a courtyard area open to the elements. He beckoned her closer and ran a hand over the knives, bright magic flaring around them. “I designed these so they couldn’t be used against me, because I’m not an idiot.” She opened her mouth to protest but was cut off. “Only a fool gives out a weapon that works on them too. Now - I’ve removed that restriction for a while, since I’m your only sparring partner.” He strolled away from her across the courtyard, a spring in his step, and spun to face her.

Her mouth dropped. “ _ You? _ ”

“I’ll go easy on you.” His dark grin suggested otherwise. Pavla felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end. He spread his arms wide. “Hit me.” She looked down at the knife in her hand, then back up at him. Ral tilted his head in an impatient gesture. “If you don’t try,” he said, “I’ll strike first.” That was enough to spur her into action.

She hit the button that lay just under the hilt, feeling  _ something _ buzz through the steel in her hand. While she wasn’t sensitive to magic, she could feel the raw power that was thrumming through the blade, ready to be unleashed. Was this what mages felt all the time? She raised the knife high in the air, then slashed it downwards. An arc of lightning leapt from it, smashing the masonry several yards from where Ral stood. He hadn’t moved at all, and merely looked up at it thoughtfully - she could see him processing how much damage had been done, the power required for it, and how well the weapon he’d built had worked.

“Not bad,” he said, “Now you just need to learn the fine art of  _ aiming _ .”

Emboldened, she tried again, slashing across this time; sending another bright arc across the courtyard. This time it hit the low rooftop above him. He stepped to the side and let a few tiles drop where he’d been standing, then turned and surveyed the wreckage. 

“I mean, you’re  _ closer _ but I’m still not even feeling a tickle. Maybe try a different motion.” He waved a hand in a pointing gesture and a spark of electricity leapt from his finger to the ground. “ _ Intent.”  _

Pavla looked down at the knife, releasing more power into it. Intent. She needed to be precise with her aim. Or as precise as lightning could get. She stabbed the dagger forward as though it were a lance. There was an electric flash and the bolt slammed forward, caught in his hand as though they were playing ball. Ral grinned at her. “That’s more like it!” 

She gaped at him as with a twisting motion he countered the spell. It was a fizzing, explosive sort of counter, nothing like Berrim’s protective shield he’d thrown up in Nivix. “You can catch lightning?” she squeaked. 

“Only because it’s my type of magic. I wouldn’t try to grab a fireball, for example.” With a flick of his wrist a ball of electricity appeared in his hand. “Catch.”

She only just managed to get the second knife up in time, squeezing the trigger on it desperately and feeling a rush of power hum along the hilt. Ral’s lightning raced across the courtyard, smashing into an invisible barrier a foot away from her blade. It exploded upward into the sky wildly, hitting brickwork and shattering a window. Pavla stared upwards in shock. 

“I mean… a spell redirection can be useful too…” Ral was already thinking out loud. “But you really need to be able to just stop one in its tracks. Again!”

“Wait-!” He ignored her protest and raised a hand, smiling evilly. This time the bolt hit the barrier with a crash, sparking and fizzing into nothingness. 

“Better. Maybe I can stop going so easy on you.”

“ _ Easy? _ ” The wind picked up, whipping her hair around her ears, clouds racing in the sky above them. A deep rumble from overhead sent a chill straight down her spine. Ral raised his hands to meet the lightning that forked down toward them, electricity crackling around him, filling the tank strapped to his back with an unbearably bright glow. He gestured toward her dramatically, sending a huge arc of lightning across the courtyard. She rolled, trying to dodge the worst of it, bringing the counterspell dagger in her left hand up to shield herself. The world exploded into light. 

As soon as her vision cleared she struck back with the other blade, hitting the spot he’d been standing seconds beforehand. 

“Not bad.” She spun to find him perched atop the old fountain that still crowned the centre of the courtyard. “But still too slow.” Thunder rolled. Another bright fork of lightning slashed through the atmosphere straight towards her head. She ran, sliding on the cobbles and parried the blow, sending it ricocheting back upward, and barely had a second to breathe before a second blast crashed into the ground in front of her, throwing her backwards. Was he trying to kill her? Was this some kind of twisted Izzet sport? She leapt back to her feet, determined to land a hit. Ral Zarek was still perched on the very top of the stone fountain, wreathed in lightning like some kind of primal force that would awe the Gruul. She gritted her teeth and prepared for the next strike. 

Rain started to fall - big heavy drops that hit the ground with a satisfying splash. Ral didn’t seem to notice, sending another bolt scything through the air toward her with a languid gesture. This time she stood her ground and countered with all the willpower she could muster, throwing herself forward into the counterblow, feet scraping the floor. The spell exploded away from her, destroying a nearby bench. He struck again, and she dodged, blocking with one hand and, hurling a counter attack back at him with the other. It hit the top level of the fountain, shattering it in an instant. He hovered, actually  _ hovered _ , in the air above his perch, looking down at it thoughtfully. Then he laughed. 

“Alright courier girl, you pass. I’ll let you keep them.” He dropped to the floor, brushed dust off his clothes and headed back towards the lab. “Come on then.”

Pavla sagged, staring at his retreating back. That had all been a test? What kind of person had she thrown her lot in with?

***

By the time she caught back up with him he was back at one of the tables, working on something with a lot of the tiny parts she’d fetched. She leaned against the doorway, physically and mentally exhausted. What was next? Maybe he’d drop her off a tower, or fire her into the atmosphere to test this one. 

“Stop lurking,” he said, not sparing her a glance. “The last assistant I had who lurked left Nivix vertically and at speed.”

She dragged herself over to him. “What do you need now?” He was about to answer when reality seemed to slip around them, the world blurring slightly, filling her with a feeling of _wrongness _that turned her stomach. Things snapped back to normal, and Pavla found herself clutching at the workbench, knees shaking. Ral glared around the room, kicked his chair back and drove his hand upward, magic flaring as he hit something invisible. 

“Some people have no respect for other researchers,” he muttered, drawing more power from the tank next to him, growing brighter. She stumbled backwards, still unsteady on her feet, and watched as he hovered a foot off the floor, a complex spell weaving itself around his outstretched hand. Something bright exploded out to the edges of the room, and someone a few buildings away let out a discordant yell. 

Ral dropped to the floor, picked up his pencil and glanced up at her. “You look terrible, you’re no use to me like that.” He pointed across the room. “There’s a makeshift rest area over there. Use it.” Pavla looked down at herself. She was covered in dust and rain, and she felt more exhausted than when she’d run one end of the city to the other. On top of everything, her stomach was churning after that weird reality bending experience. Ral on the other hand looked no different to when they’d left the lab, save a few drops of water that still lingered on his clothing. If anything, he looked invigorated. That irked her, but she was much too tired to do anything about it.

“What the heck was that?” she asked. 

“Just another idiot playing with time magic.” He ran a hand through his hair, the gesture causing a static fuzz. “It’s unpredictable and unreliable unless you’re a true master, but that doesn’t stop anyone.”

“Oh, like the time slip in Nivix…” She realised as she spoke that he hadn’t been there for it, but he shrugged as though those were common. 

“There’s always someone. Now, get out of here and leave me to work.” 

She poked her head into the rest area, which was a beaten up old mattress with singed edges in a small room off to the side that still had most of its walls. Pavla collapsed onto it, kicking off her boots, and lay staring up at the ceiling, tracing cracks with her eyes and listening to the rain. What had started as a scattering of drops during their testing duel had become torrential rain that hammered down outside onto the street and against the old window glass. It was soothing, in its way. She found a blanket and draped it over her to keep any breezes stirred by the storm away, then drifted off into a nap.

***

It was still raining when she woke, but the patter of drops on the window was subdued and pleasant to listen to. She lay on the mattress for a few minutes, just enjoying the moment of quiet, then pushed herself upright and almost immediately yelped.

“ _ Ral? _ ” She stuck her head around the doorway to find him hunched over the biggest surface in the room - an old dining table, probably once someone’s pride and joy, made of a beautiful dark reddish wood. “Where are my  _ boots? _ ” He held up a finger and continued drawing across a large sheet of paper, annotating in the margins of an inscrutable design. Pavla leaned over the table to have a look, tilting her head to the side. It was some huge mechanical blueprint that meant nothing to her. She slammed her hands on the table, making his pencil wobble. “Those boots are the most expensive kit I own! What did you do with them?”

“I upgraded them. Pass that eraser.”

“You did  _ what? _ ” 

He shot her a peeved look and pointed at the eraser that sat near her hand. She picked it up and held it tight in her fist, glaring down at him until she got a less cryptic answer.

He sighed. “I improved them. And gave them a quick clean too. You’re welcome.”

“What does that even  _ mean _ ? Where are they?”

He waved a hand over to her left, and carried on with his work, giving up on the eraser. She stalked over to where he’d gestured to find her boots, good solid brown leather with soles that would grip even in the rain, with strange contraptions strapped around them pulsing blue light from the now familiar mana storage devices he’d used on her daggers. She had to admit, they  _ were _ nice and clean now, but that wasn’t exactly the point. “You don’t steal a girls boots when she’s asleep! Even to improve them!” 

“I didn’t expect you to sleep that long, and I wanted to make sure my design fit. It’s removable - I’m not letting you keep it forever.” He rocked back on his chair and regarded her with amusement. “You looked so peaceful, snoring away, I just couldn’t bring myself to  _ zap  _ you awake.” He punctuated this with a spark of lightning that leapt from one hand to the other. Pavla recoiled slightly. That would have been an extremely rude awakening. “So I thought I’d do you a favour, and now here I am, being snapped at. You’re the worst assistant I’ve ever had.”

She rolled her eyes, and picked up one boot to examine it. There was something strapped to the sides and underneath the soles. “So… what exactly is this?”

“In layman’s terms…” He twirled the pencil in his hand, thinking on the words to use. “They’ll help you jump higher and faster. New apprentices often make something very similar because everyone, deep down, wants to fly. And this is close enough.”

Pavla’s eyes lit up. “This would make courier work incredibly easy.”

He coughed. 

“And, er, investigating and avoiding enemies, of course,” she added, tugging the boots on hastily. She adjusted the straps he’d added to ensure that nothing fell off and admired her feet. She was so caught up she didn’t notice him approaching until he poked a finger into the middle of her forehead. Magic flared around it, and she blinked, recoiling. “What?”

“As long as you have these things, I’m tracking your whereabouts,” he said seriously. “You’re not just running off with them to become the richest courier on Ravnica. I gave up good workshop time for this.”

“ _ Another _ tracking spell? Ugh.” She jammed her fists on her hips and glared up at him. “That’s kind of rude.”

“I’m not becoming the disgraced Guildmage who gave his things away for free. If you use these to rob the Orzhov or something similarly foolish, I’ll know.”

She frowned. “You have a really low opinion of other people, don’t you?”

“Never underestimate how stupid other people can be.” He headed back to the table and rolled up his plans, slipping them into a long waterproofed case. “It’s not that I’m against breaking the rules here and there,” he said, looking around the place for anything that might have been left out. The room was spotless, everything tidied away as she slept. “I just have a reputation to maintain.” He threw the case over his shoulder and gestured for her to follow. “You can cause as much chaos as you like, so long as you don’t get caught. Just tell me if you find the thing that body had with him. I want to know what it is, who took it, and why.”

“So that’s the price for all this? Just what I find out?” They were back near the courtyard from earlier, rain pattering down outside.

He turned and grinned at her, “I’m too busy to investigate and it might be nothing, so, you can do the legwork for me.” He dropped something into her hands, leather straps and shiny metal. “Put these on over your gloves.” 

She did so, after working out which bit went where. They were small devices that fit snugly over the fingerless gloves she kept with her to keep the worst of the cold out. Some people prefered full gloves, but she liked to have the option of more dexterity, especially if a tile slipped and she found herself hanging off a rooftop.

“These control your boots,” he said, “it’s extremely simple, I didn’t have time for anything more intricate. Pump mana in, go high. The amount you inject into the system directly correlates to the power you get out.” He sighed. “With more time to test I could have done something much more interesting, but nevermind-” He stepped backwards out into the rain. The wind picked up, pulling at the ends of the scarlet scarf at his neck and blowing Pavla’s hair around her ears. “Time to fly or die, courier girl,” he said, “catch me if you can.”

Lightning slammed down toward them, coalescing around him, and he leapt upward into the air, far further than any human should. Pavla grinned. After surviving counterspell training, this was something she was much more comfortable with. She checked all of the straps, then pumped some power into the boots and sprang. The buildings around her rushed past as she catapulted upward into the storm, faster than she expected. The sheer force pushed the air from her lungs; it was terrifying and exhilarating all at once. Out of the shelter of the buildings the wind buffeted her, rain lashed against her skin and the storm overhead rumbled ominously. She took a moment to stare around her across the city, then realised her upward trajectory was slowing. She curled into a ball and peered downward, picking a rooftop that seemed a likely destination, dropping like a stone. As she neared it, she pumped a little more power into the boots which slowed her fall, and landed with just a little stumbling. She heard a slow clap and looked up to see Ral perching on a nearby spire. 

“Not bad at all.” Lightning crackled around him, little sparks that leapt from one piece of metal to the next, seemingly with a life of their own. It was a little reminder that while he’d lent her some magic, it was nothing at all like the real deal. “I recall saying you had to catch me though,” he said, dropping to her rooftop with the same lithe movement she saw from the cats she encountered up high. “And I’m not sure you’re up to the task.”

Pavla smiled, seized by a competitive recklessness. “Try me,” she said, and lunged toward him, charging across the rooftop. In seconds he was gone, high up into the clouds. She drew more power into her boots and followed, soaring through the air, the wind whistling past her, through low clouds to land on the next roof, only to launch herself further still. She could see him easily; the lightning he used to ride the storm also made him stand out against the dark sky. He kept just far enough ahead to watch her progress, slipping away whenever she got close. She had to get faster.

She took a run up, feet pounding across roof tiles, and hurled herself into the storm. It was glorious, the spires of the city looming up through the mists, the wind at her back and nothing but empty sky waiting for her. She let out a whoop, free falling downwards, decelerating to hit the next launch point and throwing herself back upwards. She could get used to this. She’d always belonged high, up on the rooftops, but never thought she could go further.

“You’re not terrible at this,” Ral appeared next to her as she flew, riding the wind as casually as though he were walking on the street, “I’m glad I didn’t put all that work in just to create a courier pancake.”

She lunged at him, missed, and had to quickly regain her control before she hit a spire, landing in a roll on the rooftop nearby. He grinned down at her, “Nice try, but a frontal attack will never work.” She pushed herself to her feet and looked around. He’d vanished again. “Tell you what,” his voice came from behind her this time, making her spin around, “I’ll make it easier. You don’t need to get close to me.” 

Pavla waited for the catch. 

“We can play a friendly little game,” He drew an arc of electricity over his head playfully. “Of lightning tag.”

“Well that sounds dangerous,” she said, warily. 

“It’s pretty much what we did earlier to test your knives. But more fun! Try and hit me - I can counter it easily enough.”

“And then what about when you try to hit me?”

He waved a hand dismissively, “That won’t happen until you catch me up, which at this rate, may not be something we need to consider.” She let off an outraged yelp and whipped out the lightning blade. He vanished again, dropping out of sight, laughter echoing around the spires.

Pavla swore to herself, staring into the clouds around her. She wasn’t sure where he’d gone, which wasn’t at all conducive to winning. She launched herself upward, hoping for a better view across the area. It didn’t particularly help - the storm meant that low cloud and mist provided easy hiding places, and the rain got into her eyes. She wasn’t sure if goggles would improve the situation or just make it worse. Ral didn’t need them, but his magic seemed to make him comfortable out in this weather. 

Lightning lanced out of nowhere, hitting the mana storage on her boots and making her leap even higher into the air. “You were running low,” Ral’s voice called over the wind. She spun around as she fell and spotted him racing away to the north.  _ Got you.  _ A nearby rooftop provided a perfect launching point and she shot after him, lightning blade ready, bouncing from spire to spire across the city. She wondered briefly if anyone below could see them - they’d probably put it down to a couple of Izzet apprentices and shrug it off. 

She knew what all of Ravnica looked like from up high, and they were heading toward Nivix, the great tower just visible in the distance through the rain, which she was sure was getting heavier. Ral was close enough that she could take a shot, just, and she struck out with the dagger, sending a bolt of lightning across the sky. He dodged it easily, but that wasn’t the point - this gave her a good idea of how far and fast she could reach.

She dropped low, down through the clouds to rooftops only a few stories high, using the extra speed from her boots to push forward instead of up. The sky was new territory for her, but down here was more familiar than the back of her hand. She skipped across tiles, leapt chimneys and soared over streets, faster than she’d ever gone before. She shot past another bemused courier who was pausing for a break, yelling a quick apology when he shouted after her. Nivix was a lot closer now; she could see Izzet pipework starting to thread between buildings and more guild members on the streets. That was far enough. She braced herself and rocketed upward, emerging above the low cloud a short distance from Ral. She struck, lightning flashing across the distance between them, sure she’d be closer this time. 

He vanished. 

Pavla blinked, wiping rain from her face. He’d definitely been there; it was hard to mistake someone else for him. 

“I’d give that a ten for effort, but a three for results.” She spun around as she fell, seeing him wave as she dropped back downward. 

She caught a foothold on a nearby spire and paused for a break. “How did you  _ do that?” _ She yelled into the clouds. 

Ral landed neatly on a nearby building and waved something small in his hand at her. “Remember that portable teleport I was going to work on?”

“That’s cheating!”

“I don’t recall promising to play fair. No one you use those knives on will.”

“ _ Urgh.”  _ Pavla flopped against the tiles and sighed. 

“Don’t give up courier girl, it’s just getting fun. I want to see what else you try.” She opened her eyes to see him up the top of the spire, peering down at her. The knife hummed awake in her hand and she struck upward, lightning hammering into the sky. “Taking any opportunity possible to get a blow in - you’ve got the right instincts, at least.” This time he was on the other side of the spire. There was no way she’d be able to manoeuvre around there without him seeing. Pavla wasn’t a giving up kind of person though. 

She filled her boots with power and leapt upwards in a backflip. Upside down she had a good view of him, leaning on the side of the spire. In one smooth movement her knife came down and lightning smashed the spot he’d been standing, tiles flying loose. 

“Good form! I’m sure they won’t mind.” He’d jumped off to the left and she sent another bolt his way as gravity pulled her back down, the blast leaving a hole in the roof. “Missed again!” He followed her down to the next rooftop. “We’ll just call this my win.”

“What? No!” He was only a few feet away from her - now was her chance. She stabbed the knife right at him, the button making an empty clicking noise when she hit it. Pavla looked down at it, confused. 

“Limited shots, remember?” Ral twisted it in her hand and showed her the dull glass orb in the hilt. “No juice left.”

“I wanted to win,” she grumbled. 

“That was never going to happen. I always win,” he said, adjusting his gauntlet nonchalantly. She pulled a face at him for that comment. “Good training session though. Time for the next one.” With a gesture he refilled the mana in her boots - not her knife, she noted bitterly. “We still have a way to go, and you’ll need extra power, since you’ll need to be dodging my attacks.”

“I- what?”

“Try to beat me to Nivix. I’ll be causing…  _ disruption.” _ Electricity crackled around his gauntlet, lighting his face an eerie blue. “You’ve got your counter spell. Use it wisely.”

“Are you joking? You’re not joking, are you.” 

He raised his hands, calling more lightning from the clouds that leapt and sparked around him, and struck a overdramatically sinister pose. “Run little courier,  _ run!” _

Pavla swore and leapt off the side of the building. She should have seen this coming after the last time, but was it really too much to hope for to not have to avoid lightning to the face twice in one day? 

A bolt blasted past her head, shattering a nearby window. “Warning shot!” Ral called behind her. She bit off some words she’d picked up in the rougher parts of Ravnica, pulling her counter-knife from its holster. This one had two mana storage orbs fused to it - but how many shots was that? Did a counterspell use more mana than a lightning bolt? 

The city rushed past below her as she leapt from roof to roof, trying not to stay in one place or move in a straight line, making herself a harder target to hit. There was a crack of thunder overhead so loud it thrummed inside her chest, and she instinctively raised the dagger in time to block an arc of lightning that pushed her along the rooftop, dislodging moss and tiles. Her feet ground to a halt near the edge, and she leapt downwards, trusting her memory of the area to guide her. She couldn’t afford to stop and catch her breath, or she risked making herself an even easier target.

Bouncing from ledge to ledge she hit the pavement, rolling under an archway and ran. The rain was getting heavier again, but she was already soaked through, her boots the only waterproof thing she had. A little more wouldn’t hurt. If her internal map was right - and it always was - Nivix was to her right. Ral hadn’t specified exactly where she had to go within that target though, so hopefully the main gates were enough. 

She felt her hair stand on end, and something  _ shift _ in the air. Trusting her instincts she ground to a halt and leapt backward, just in time, as he slammed into the cobbles in front of her, stone exploding outwards, smashing the windows around them. She shot up into the air away as quickly as possible. That had been far too close; her heart was hammering in her chest and she could feel terror tingling at the edges of her mind. He, however, was  _ enjoying _ this. She’d caught a glimpse of his expression in that instant and he’d been having the time of his life. Bloody Izzets. 

Lightning rained down around her as she made it in sight of the Guildgate, the first time she’d ever been this relieved to see it. She blocked one bolt, dodged another and hurled herself over the surprised guards to land on top of the archway. Ral followed her nonchalantly into the courtyard, electric power flaring around him. 

“Nothing to worry about gentlemen,” he said to the two men stationed either side of the gate, “just a training exercise.” They nodded as if it were a completely normal occurrence. Pavla gaped down at the guards just as another bolt smashed into the top of the gate, throwing her off her perch. She blocked the worst of it, but landed face first on the cobblestones in front of him. Ral bent down and gave her a sunny smile. “I think I win again,” he said.

“I made it to Nivix!” She pushed herself upright, wiping dirt from her face. “Ugh. Why would you do that.”

“Always be ready for a surprise attack, courier girl. There are people with less mercy than I around here.” He offered her a hand and she grabbed it to pull herself upright. The storm had chilled her to the bone, but he was still warm. She put it down to cheating with magic. 

“I seriously doubt that,” she grumbled, prompting a laugh.

“One last trip,” he pointed upward, “and then I’ll let you sit down. I want to make a few adjustments.”

She sighed and grumpily followed him up the tower, hoping that no one was conducting any explosive experiments in the labs she used as launching points. She caught him up halfway up the tower and paused to look around. Down below she saw a flash of red scale and realised that the huge shape in the eastern courtyard was Niv-Mizzet himself, not often seen outside the Guild. The dragon was enormous, bigger than she’d imagined, and far more magnificent. His scales shone in the rain like jewels, and seeing him filled her both with a longing to head down there and get a closer look, and a compulsion to run away as far as possible. She perched on a spire and stared down, entranced. 

Ral landed next to her and gave her a bored sidelong look. “Can you hurry up?”

“Seeing a dragon might be an everyday occurrence for you, but let me have my moment.” She gave the courtyard one last wistful look and followed him upwards. 

“Serve as my personal courier when your investigation is over and you can see him as much as you like.” Ral strode from the balcony into the warmth of the laboratory and threw his waterproofed document case across the room. It was caught by a goblin in guild regalia who gave Pavla a hostile look. “Stop pulling that face, Krenz, she’s not replacing you. Yet.” 

Pavla edged into the room, trying not to trip over the cable work that littered the floor. “Ever,” she corrected him. “You kept telling me I’d be the worst assistant.”

“They’re all terrible. Krenz is passable.” He unstrapped the equipment he carried and picked up a cloth to wipe down the gauntlet. “Dry her off, Krenz? She’s part of a new pet project and I don’t want to lose her to influenza before I get results.”

The goblin hurried off, returning with a towel and pushed her towards a contraption in the corner that radiated heat. “Bossy, isn’t he,” she said in an attempt to be friendly, but he still eyed her with suspicion. Pavla gave up. She hung her short cloak over a warm pipe and pulled off her shoes, removing her wet socks with distaste. Good boots could only protect you so far. Those went on the pipe too, along with her gloves. She used the towel to get most of the water out of her hair and watched Ral potter around the lab, checking various projects, noting things here and there, tending his machines like the Selesnya tended their gardens.

The warmth from the pipes around her were starting to return much needed heat to her body. She undid the straps of the light armour on her arms and pulled off her jacket, draping it next to her, then pressed her back against something warm and metallic. It was like coming back to life. She was acutely aware that even her  _ underwear _ was soaked through, but Pavla had enough pride to dismiss the idea of any further stripping in the presence of strange scientists. 

At Ral’s direction Krenz scurried over and retrieved her knives, boots and the control devices he’d handed her, dropping them on a workbench next to the Guildmage before running off out of the room on another errand. 

“He’s very fast,” she said as the goblin’s steps echoed down the corridor.

“And he doesn’t talk back or argue.” Ral gave her a sardonic smile. “One of my better assistants, to be sure.”

“You just said he was ‘passable’,” she frowned.

Ral shrugged and sat back in his chair, resting his boots on the workbench. He was fiddling with one of the control devices. “A contented assistant is a complacent assistant. Best to keep them on their toes.”

“You’re certainly not convincing me to take work with you here.” 

“It’s true that my guild isn’t for people who want an easy job. I find it much more fulfilling this way.” He laid the device back on the bench, then examined the lightning knife. “These functioned as well as expected. It’s not as accurate as  _ I  _ can get but it does the trick.”

“How accurate  _ can _ you get?” She shifted position to try to dry off her legs. 

“I could have hit you every single time out there.” He spun the knife in his hand, pointing it to the sky. “I can preempt movement and compensate for your speed, and I can hit someone across the other side of the city with exact accuracy.” He summoned more power to his hands, refilling both knives and arched an eyebrow in her direction. “So don’t misuse my creations, hm?”

“I get it, I get it.” She waved a hand at him and lay sideways along the warm pipes. It wasn’t particularly comfortable sitting here but the heat was wonderful. “I just need to find out what happened to the mystery object the body was carrying and stay alive along the way.”

“Do you have a plan of action for that now?” He picked up one of the boots and scrutinised the mana storage globe fused into the side, tapping it with a finger. Krenz rushed back into the room, dropping some parts into Ral’s waiting hand, then set to tidying around them, catching the pieces the Guildmage discarded as he worked. 

“I might start from the very beginning again,” she said thoughtfully, “go back to the scene, follow it down to the Undercity. I’m better armed now.”

“You’d better stay alive down there. I don’t want to have to go down to retrieve my stuff; I’d be washing Golgari gunk out of my clothes for weeks.” He held up the boot and examined his work critically.

“Noted.” She threw him a mock salute. “You’d probably just send an unfortunate assistant.”

“How do you feel about the Undercity?” Ral asked the goblin, who pulled a disgusted face. “Krenz won’t go either.” Pavla wondered if Krenz ever talked. You couldn’t stop most goblins from doing so.

“What exactly are you doing to my footwear this time?” 

He grinned, “Improving it.”

Pavla sighed and flopped across the pipes. It was pointless asking more questions; she’d just wait until he gave her his grand explanation. She pulled her now slightly damp book out of her bag and picked up where she’d left off. She hadn’t touched it since Jace had almost made her fall off the roof the day she’d left the Chamber, so the poor protagonist had been stuck waiting to hear from the killer where to meet to get his wife back. She flicked back a few pages and reread to refresh her memory. The meet up was clearly a trap. But he had no choice, he had to go. She looked at the remaining pages with a frown. Well, there was enough book left that he  _ must _ survive. Unless he died, his wife lived and the rest of the book was her revenge on the killer. Pavla shook her head. No, that was too much. This wasn’t a convention breaking novel. 

She was a few pages into the next chapter when there was a rap on the door and another Guildmage walked into the room. She was pretty, with dark skin and big brown eyes, a lightning canister similar to Ral’s slung across her back.

“Assistant Researcher Novic, nice of you to join us.” Ral said, not looking up from tinkering with the boots. 

“Well if you kept to a schedule I wouldn’t find myself across the other side of the district when you’re in the lab.” She rolled her eyes. “Krenz sent word to me, otherwise we’d never cross paths.”

“Well that  _ is  _ his job.” He waved a hand across the room. “I’ve made updates to the plans; take a look.”

“Does the coffee machine work yet?” She looked across the room and noticed Pavla, eyeing her with interest. “And who is this? You’re supposed to introduce guests.”

“She’s a side project, not a guest.”

Novic made her way across the room and offered a gloved hand to the courier. “Marija.”

“Pavla.” She shook it, prompting a smile from the other girl. It was a very nice smile. 

“I can see that the bossman here has been lacking as a host - would you like a hot drink?” 

“Um… s-sure?” She could feel her face heating under Marija’s scrutiny. She watched her walk neatly around the wires and pipes that criss crossed the room, the curls that sprang wildly from her head bouncing when she jumped over obstacles. Her hair was a very dark brown, with a single white streak through it that she’d styled into its own spiral, marking her out as part of the Izzet League before you even noticed the guild colours she wore. Pavla self-consciously ran a hand through her soaked mess of a haircut. It was drying at odd angles.

She watched her examine the machine that Ral had been working on when she’d first visited with Berrim, nod with satisfaction and flick a number of switches and buttons in succession. Something inside rumbled to life, steam shot out of several pipes and she leaned down to catch a stream of coffee in a chipped mug. She took a sip. 

“It’s not  _ bad,” _ she said thoughtfully. “But it’s not the best coffee I’ve had either. This could definitely use some more development.” Ral ignored her, deeply involved in tinkering. She filled some more cups and scooted one along the table next to him, straight into his waiting hand, then delivered one to Pavla. “So, side project Pavla, what is our Head Researcher helping you with?”

Ral snorted. “I’m not helping, I’m investing.”

“How very Orzhov of you,” she said teasingly. 

“I thought you rushed over here to work?” He dropped one boot into Krenz’s waiting hands, and the goblin delivered it across the room to Pavla. Marija eyed it with interest. 

“Are you starting a new super speed courier business? I want in too.” She turned and picked up one of the daggers that rested on the table in front of him. “Isochron tech in knives too… intriguing. Which spells have you imprinted?”

“Unfortunately, not silencing spells, or ones that make assistants get back to work.” He dropped the second boot off the table into Krenz’s hands and shot her a judgemental look. “I’m merely keeping her alive so she can investigate something for me. Can you stop interrupting?”

“Sounds fascinating.” Marija perched on the pipe next to Pavla. “So, what do the knives do?”

Ral shot a lightning bolt across the room, hitting the wall inches from her head. She sighed and slipped back to the ground. “It’s just so rare for you to work with anyone outside the guild. But fine.” She looked back at Pavla. “Can I borrow her to help me with the plans? They’re huge and you’re monopolising Krenz.” He waved a hand at her in permission and she beckoned Pavla across the room. 

The courier slipped her boots back on and found herself helping Marija wrestle huge rolls of paper onto a drafting table. They smoothed them out, weighing down the corners with whatever was heavy and close by. Pavla couldn’t make heads or tails of what was on them - she could recognise blueprints for various devices laid out in such detail that every screw was labelled, mixed in with wilder, ambitious sketches of buildings that seemed to be all machine. She watched Marija frown down at them, chewing the end of a pencil she’d kept stuck behind an ear, then lean down across the table to scribble notes in the margins. She moved with the same frenetic energy that seized Ral mid-invention, but with a thoughtfulness that showed when she paused to consider something. Pavla found herself leaning on a nearby table, happy to just observe. 

A screw bounced off her arm, making her jump, and Ral’s voice filtered through. “ _ -Pavla _ , are you deaf? Come here.” She shuffled quickly back across the room, face heating as Marija shot her a conspiratorial smile. Ral was less amused. “Do you even remember what I told you about being a deputised assistant while you’re in my lab space? How are you supposed to react when you’re not even listening?” She leaned back to avoid the finger jabbing toward her nose. “I’ve added more storage to your boots to avoid death by gravity. They’ll drain one at a time, so keep an eye on them. Once one is dull you should be heading somewhere safe and  _ ground level _ .”

“Right.”

“And don’t lend them out to anyone; if I see anyone else using my stuff, I’ll strike them down on the spot.” That seemed a little harsh, but she had no intention of doing so, so she nodded vigorously. “Your knives seem fine. Don’t use the counterspell unless you need to - it uses more mana than the bolt.”

“Counterspell?” Marija’s head popped up, intrigued. “You should have asked me to train her; that’s my specialty.”

“Unnecessary. She probably won’t even need to use it.” He turned an imperious gaze back to Pavla. “Get yourself ready, I’m sending you back out to the crime scene so you stop distracting my staff.”

Krenz hurried in from the doorway carrying a plate, which he carefully placed on Ral’s workbench. “Master Otev’s custard tarts?” Pavla could smell them out a mile off. “So that’s why you recognised them, huh.”

“Best in the city. Novic prefers his  _ kremsnita _ but she doesn’t run this lab, so...” He picked one up and took a bite, gesturing at her discarded clothes to indicate that she should hurry herself up. She pulled her layers back on, all of them dry and carrying the warmth from the pipes, then snuck behind him as he examined some of Marija’s notes and grabbed a few of the pastries, sliding them into some waxed paper left in her bag from a previous bakery trip.

She stood straight when he turned his attention back to her, and Ral looked her up and down critically. “Well, I’ve done all I can in the time I had,” he said, then handed her what looked like a small decorative hair clip. “Put this on and keep it on for the duration of your investigation.”

“Is this another tracking spell?” She eyed it warily. 

“No, those are a lot harder to lose. This will grant you some protection.”

“Against what?”

He raised an amused eyebrow. “Unsavoury elements who might interfere.”

That wasn’t clear at all but she stuck it into her hair anyway. It couldn’t hurt; everything else he’d given her was useful. She sheathed her knives and slipped on the control gloves, tightening the straps as she followed Ral back out onto the balcony. The storm had dropped, and now merely hung overhead as dark clouds and a chill breeze. Without the mists obscuring her view she could see across the city, over several districts. 

She was so used to navigating from up high that she unconsciously picked out multiple landmarks within seconds. New Prahv loomed up out of the skyline - the tallest building in the entire city, though Nivix came close. The three towers were an easy landmark for any citizen, clean and bright, especially in the sunlight, all reflective white stone and steel. She could see the swathe that Tin Street Market cut through the streets, the Boros fortress guildhall of Sunhome sitting square and stubborn amongst the other buildings, and lavish Orzhov cathedrals rising upward, all stained glass and gold. Her city was beautiful, and she often wondered if anyone else noticed. They all seemed so caught up in their own lives.

When she looked around at Ral, he was leaning on the balustrade staring out across the rooftops. Maybe he appreciated it too, with a view like this. She wasn’t sure he’d give her a real reply if she outright asked. He turned and gave her a serious look. “If you find this item, and it represents a danger to Ravnica, I expect you to report this back to me directly. Don’t try anything stupid.”

“A danger to the entire city?” She hadn’t even considered this. What kind of object could contain such a threat?

“If Beleren is investigating then it’s something to bear in mind. He’s not the only one who can look after the place, though. Step up.” He gestured to the teleporter. She sighed.

“Again?”

“Do you  _ want _ to spend half a day getting there? You’ll need to conserve the mana in your boots, since I’m the only one who can recharge them.”

She pulled a face, trudging over to the teleportal circle that sat in the middle of the balcony. Last time she’d been distracted by the view, but now she was unsure how she had missed it. The platform was only slightly raised, but numerous wires coiled out of it into a control unit where Ral now stood, checking glowing data from his gauntlet against the settings. He nodded in satisfaction, then raised a hand upward. The clouds overhead swirled, lightning forking downward and dancing around his fingertips. “Don’t mess this up, courier girl,” he said, letting it leap from his hand to the machine before she could open her mouth to protest, and the world went white once more.


	5. Back Below

Pavla found herself hanging upside down, a few inches away from the pavement when she recovered from the initial shock. She had a vague memory of appearing in mid air somewhere and then… oh no. She peered up. There was someone holding her by the belt. He leaned down to take a look at her.

“Are you alright?”

Memories came flooding back. She had  _ landed  _ on him. Landed on a Boros soldier, after being told not to cause any trouble. And it had all been Ral’s fault! She was going to be arrested again before she could even start investigating, and she was quite sure that the Izzet Guildmage would come up with some reason that it was all her problem. She wilted as the soldier carefully placed her back down onto solid ground, and straightened up to look at him, ready to make some excuses.

He was tall. Ral had been a good foot taller than her, but this man was something else - just trying to look him in the eye was giving her a crick in her neck. Broad too, and muscular - hitting him had been like bouncing off a wall. “Are you hurt?” he asked. Empathy - that was a good sign.

She bowed her head and shuffled her feet. “I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to! It wasn’t my teleporter - I mean - I didn’t choose where to go, um…” She tailed off and risked a peek upwards. He was frowning down at her, but seemed more bemused than annoyed. There was something about him that radiated reassurance.

“You’re a courier? An Izzet courier?” He was looking at her boots.

“Uh, no, just a guildless courier. I borrowed these from a friend.” Calling Ral that was a stretch but it would cause less questions that ‘a man I met in a bar’.

He rubbed tired eyes and smiled down at her. “Well, you seem alright. Take care of yourself appearing in mid air; next time you might not have anyone to catch you.”

“I didn’t hurt you did I?” He had bandages peeking through his armour, causing her more than a pang of guilt for colliding with him, and one taped to the side of his face. Frankly, she wondered why they’d allowed him to patrol - a person with that many injuries should surely be resting. 

He laughed. “No, don’t worry, I’ve got enough protection that a sudden rain of couriers doesn’t hurt me.” She remembered now - when she hit him there had been something, like a glow. It must be Boros magic. He strolled past her, clapping a hand on her shoulder as he went. “Stay safe, hm?” 

She watched him go, detecting a slight limp in his step. It wasn’t every day someone in the Boros let you off so leniently for disrupting public order. She paused, then ran up to him, proffering one of the custard tarts she’d pilfered earlier. “You look like you need this,” she said, in response to his confused look.

He gave her a weary smile. “I look that bad?”

She was saved answering when another soldier ran around the corner, armour clanking loudly. “Jura!” he barked. “We’ve got another riot in the Ninth!”

The man took the tart she offered, gave her a nod, then hurried off down the street with his comrade. Pavla shrugged. She’d never understand the Boros - it took a certain kind of person to put their life on the line to maintain order in a place as huge and chaotic as Ravnica, but she’d certainly been grateful for their presence more than once in the past.

She brushed herself down and checked everything was still attached. She couldn’t argue that teleportation wasn’t  _ useful _ , it just left a person very disconcerted and feeling like something important might have been left behind, like a set of keys… or a piece of your soul. Little things like that.

The area was as she remembered it - a quiet little corner of the city, tall houses split into apartments that were stacked around a small courtyard with a fountain. No further bodies appeared in the air before her, which wasn’t something she’d totally written off as a possibility, and so was rather a relief. She wandered up to the fountain, filled her flask and took a long drink, perching on the little wall that ringed the courtyard. Birds sang up above her and the leaves of a small tree growing in another corner of the space rustled quietly in the breeze. This was the peace and quiet she’d been seeking in her rest stop in the first place. You couldn’t live here without accepting the bustle of the city, unless you fancied a life out with the Gruul in the wasteland areas, but there was always a place you could find that offered a break from it all. This was supposed to be one of hers. 

She looked around. The body had been about… there. The cobblestones showed no sign of any violence or body snatching, which wasn’t surprising considering Jace had seemed so stumped when he was trying to find it. It was a little too much to hope for a large blood smear pointing the way, or a receipt from a body collection service. She swung her legs and hummed tunelessly, thinking. If it was the Golgari who first took the body, then they must have not had to go far to hide it and themselves again. There had to be a way into the Undercity not far away, and the most likely place she’d find  _ that _ was by looking for an entrance into Ravnica’s sewer system. 

First things first - she pulled an old scarf out of her bag and tore it into strips, winding it around her dagger handles to obscure the glow that Ral’s adjustments produced. It wouldn’t do to stand out down there. Next were the mechanisms attached to her boots, which took considerably more wrapping. She hopped off her perch and spun around, examining her handiwork. Everything looked much less valuable, which was what you wanted if you were heading to a potentially dodgy district. Nearly all of Pavla’s knowledge on the Undercity was based on rumour and the short time she’d been sneaking around there with Berrim. Logically speaking, it was probably full of perfectly normal people of various species trying to get on with life, just like the surface world of Ravnica. Much like the sunlit areas though, it never hurt to be prepared to enter a den of crime. People were all corruptible, regardless of time or place.

Pavla strolled back and forward down each of the little streets branching away from the fountain. With such a huge population to support, the systems below the surface were full of the passageways and pipework she’d seen earlier, and there had to be a way to access that for maintenance. For half a moment she wished she’d persuaded Ral to come with her - surely he was familiar with how the Izzet transferred mana, water and heat throughout the city. Then she imagined the lecture she’d get, and decided against the notion. It might take a little longer alone, but it was better than being told that because she had no innate talent, she couldn’t sense the mana that was obviously there. Maybe she could have asked Marija to come though…

She half tripped over a stone that was sticking out of the street and stared down at it. There was something carved into the side, which if you squinted, looked like an older version of the Golgari emblem. She pried it out of its space and examined it, then looked back down at the hole it left. There was something inside it. She pulled out a dagger and gently slid it into the gap. Something below her clicked, there was a grinding noise, and she almost fell backwards down a spiral staircase that had opened in the street behind her. She recoiled, rolling to the side and pulled another scarf out of her bag, wrapping it around her nose and mouth. This was definitely the entrance to the sewer system - the smell could have knocked out a particularly sensitive giant. The scarf wouldn’t  _ really _ help, but it made her feel better. 

She pulled the hood of her cape up and carefully made her way down the steps, landing in something wet and slimy that she didn’t want to think about too much. Above her, the stones ground back into position, daylight winking out as they rearranged themselves. She stood there in the dark, willing her eyes to adjust faster. Slowly, the world came back into view. Tiny luminous mushrooms clung to the walls, alongside a kind of lichen that gave off an eerie greenish glow. She could hear the scuttle of insects and a kind of low background hum from deeper below. She warily made her way forward through the muck, one hand on her lightning dagger in case of ambush.

The tunnels sloped downwards, splashing down into pools that split in various directions. One route seemed more well trodden than the others, its entryways kept clear, so she picked that one, ducking under Izzet-wrought pipework that wove through the passageways, sometimes giving out its own soft glow, not unlike the one that tried to leak from the wrapping around her daggers. The tunnels were getting wider here, and the water deeper. Pavla edged around the worst of it, and found herself at another archway, tall and wide, with worn carvings crawling across its surface, capped by a leering face on the keystone. Further down in the gloom she could hear a quiet whispering, just on the edge of hearing. She leaned around the corner, and went to take a step when a deep voice behind her said, “Oh no, not that way.” 

Something grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, and she found herself dangling in the air, staring right into the face of a ten foot troll. Yelping, she pulled her lightning dagger free and held it between them. “Don’t eat me! I’ll zap you!” she hit the button on the dagger and lightning rippled across its surface. The troll held her further away.

“Don’t do that,” he rumbled. “You’ll just excite the eels.”

She paused mid-flail. “What?”

“See I was just walking around here minding my own business this fine day when I saw a little human go scurrying past,” he gestured as he talked, waving her around in the air. “And I thinks to myself, that doesn’t look like a local, perhaps she has no idea where she’s going. Turns out I’m right, hm?” 

Pavla narrowed her eyes, unsure what answering honestly would prompt him to do.

The troll took her silence for assent. “So, I  _ then _ thinks to myself… lucky for her, because I happen to be a guide who is having a particularly quiet day, and maybe, since she looks like she’s here on a particular mission, she has the coin to pay for such a service.”

Her jaw dropped, which she immediately regretted as it dislodged the scarf over her nose. “A guide?” She quickly raised a hand to drag the material back up. It didn’t help much.

“Yep. For the low price of twenty zinos an hour I can get you safely to wherever your little heart desires.” 

Pavla raised an eyebrow. She knew rate doubling when she saw it. “Ten,” she said, trying to cross her arms, feet still dangling. 

The troll gave her a wounded expression, “And here I was, saving you from the shadowy dark place down that way. People come out changed, you know, with no memory of what happened to them. Eighteen.”

“I can handle myself. Twelve.”

He looked her up and down, dangling from his hand, tiny and dripping sludge. “Yes, I can see that very clearly right here. It was far more dangerous for me to approach  _ you _ with your eel knives. Seventeen.”

“Eel knives?” 

“Lots of dangerous creatures down here, little human. The eels can zap just as much as your magic weapon. There’s beetles that can eat right through your hands. And we won’t even get into the ghostshrimp.”

“...Shrimp?” She regained her composure after that list of strange horrors. “Fifteen. No higher.” She eyed the water for signs of creatures. “And I get to ride on your shoulder through the deep bits.”

The troll rumbled as he considered the offer. “I suppose I can go that low, though it means one of my children will have to starve…” He grinned at her, odd shaped teeth poking from his mouth. “I’m joking, I’m joking. No kids. I lost them to the eels.” He dropped her on his shoulder. Pavla couldn’t tell now what was real and what was a joke, so she stayed silent, clinging on. “Where are you wanting to go, hurrying little human?” he asked.

She leaned forward, “I’m looking for a huge hall with a marketplace at its heart.”

The troll started splashing his way through the tunnels, Pavla ducking as they went through an archway. “And what are you seeking at this place?”

“Oh,” she thought hurriedly. “My client collects interesting objects. Like magical ones. I was told to go down here and see if there were any for sale.”

“Pity for you that he doesn’t collect Undercity maps, hm? Though the landscape down here is always changing. Things grow, things die. Things are built and collapse. Everything goes in a cycle.” They emerged into a small cavern that looked to be a ruined hall. Worn carvings were still visible on some of the walls, and in the alcoves that once would have held objects of art or displays of wealth there were now beautiful colonies of mushrooms, blooming in the darkness like strange flowers. Pavla leaned toward one of them, trying to get a closer look. One of them was frilled, with red dappled across its edges. She reached out toward it as they passed, only to have her hand batted away by the troll’s giant fingers.

“Bad idea,” he said, “these are all cultivated by a grumpy faced elf woman. Touch them and if you survive the poison, she’ll be coming to get you herself for disturbing their peace.”

She recoiled, tucking her hand away in her cloak where it couldn’t do any damage. “So,” she said, looking down at her new companion. “What’s your name? Seems right to swap them since we’re in business now. I’m Pavla.”

“Boritz.” The strange room of fungus vanished as they entered another passageway, which was lit by small lanterns that lined the walls.

“Nice to meet you.”

“More lucky you met me than nice. You might be shrimp food by now.” He paused and peered down the pathway ahead. 

“Hey! I can take care of myself you kn–“

He raised a hand, cutting off her proclamation of independence. “Hush. Someone is up ahead.” She clamped her mouth shut and glared at him. Pavla was not a person who took being shushed well, even in life threatening situations. He frowned, huge brow furrowing deeply. “Smells like elves. They can be… difficult.”

He walked slowly up to the sound of voices ahead, the marshy water - Pavla tried not to think about what else was in there - splashing quietly around his feet. As soon as they got close, the talking abruptly stopped and a snooty sounding voice said, “That  _ troll _ is back.” She grimaced. It was the kind of voice that refused to tip because you were one minute late on a delivery. 

Boritz sighed, removed Pavla from his shoulder and dropped her down onto a fallen slab of stone, then stepped out of the shadows into the next room. She wrapped the scarf tighter around her face, pulled up her hood to try to obscure her presence and peered carefully around the crumbling doorway. 

Five elves were all glaring up at the troll. One in particular looked more important than the others - her robes were fine and she had the imperious look of a person used to giving orders. Her face was set in a permanent frown, and it suddenly occurred to Pavla that the ‘grumpy faced elf woman’ mentioned earlier was probably standing right in front of her. The others were in practical armour, muddied but still beautiful, as most elf work was. They never failed to make humans look inelegant. 

“We’ve told you before,” One of the flunkies jabbed a finger up at Boritz’s sizeable nose. Standing on a fallen piece of stone the troll was many times taller than them. “This is Golgari territory. Guildless trolls are not allowed to trespass here.”

There was a thoughtful rumble before he responded. “I am begging to differ, because you see, the last time you were telling me this, I went to check. And they were replying that your application for the territory change was still under review.” The elf blinked, clearly not expecting a ‘mere’ troll to understand the process. “So I am thinking that technically speaking this is guildless territory that I am merely wishing to pass through.”

“You’ll ruin all of the rare mushrooms with your clumsy big feet!”

“I am very dainty when I am trying to be.” From Pavlas perspective, he looked almost like a tired father explaining things once again to a group of children. Perhaps he hadn’t been making the kids at home up. 

“Enough.” That was the robed elf. She strode forward in the water and pointed a carved staff toward him, a dark energy pulsing around it. “It seems you won’t leave without being taught a lesson.”

Time seemed to slow. Pavla saw the magic pulse outward, grasping tendrils of purple blackness spiralling through the air toward the troll. Without even thinking things through she launched herself in front of him, counterspell dagger in her hand. The two magics clashed, exploding into an electric light as the elf’s spell was fully countered. She took half a second to feel proud of herself, then brought the lightning knife around in a fluid gesture and launched a bolt straight at their feet. 

If the elves had been standing on stone she wouldn’t have had quite as good a chance at hitting them all at once, but standing in the boggy water of the next room the electricity ran through them in seconds, throwing two of them across the room and stunning the others, who collapsed down into the muck. The water writhed. Boritz picked her up again and stepped further up onto the stones as most of the elves suddenly came to their senses, noticed the lightning eels racing toward their feet and fled the room, shrieking insults that echoed across the stone. 

Boritz reached down and pulled a last unconscious elf out of the water before the eels got to him, lying him gently across a fallen piece of ceiling. “I may have to stop using this route,” he mused, then peered down into the water. It had calmed, the eels following the noisy retreat of their prey.

“We should probably get going, before they come back with friends,” Pavla eyed the one he’d rescued. He seemed to still be breathing at least. She didn’t want to be responsible for actual murder after escaping one allegation already.

***

From there it didn’t take long to reach the marketplace she’d seen with Berrim. This time they entered from ground level, the huge columns rising upward above their heads still striking awe into her when they came into view. Surface Ravnica was always her first love - the rooftops a playground for anyone brave and skilled enough to make them their territory. But she could understand why so many denizens of the Undercity were proud of their home. It still had a beauty and a glory, an unmistakable feeling of history pressing down on you amongst the mud and muck. 

Boritz lifted her from his shoulder and dropped her down at street level. “That’s fifteen zinos, plus any tip you are feeling generous enough to give. Also I’d be appreciating a review at the Undercity Excursions building in Precinct Two.” He leaned down conspiratorially. “Reviews are like gold dust for us small folks.”

She grinned and handed over twenty. “You were worth it, Boritz. I’ll leave you one if I get back to the surface alive.”

He harrumphed. “Market isn’t  _ that _ dangerous. Though considering where I was finding you, perhaps you have a nose for trouble.” She gave him a cheeky wave and headed into the crowds, pulling her hood back up to blend in as much as she could.

The stalls were numerous and carried a huge variety - from the food and clothing she expected to luxuries and strange scavenged goods, some of which seemed to be partially still attached to their former owners. She gave  _ those _ stalls a wide berth. Some of the food smelled delicious, and her stomach growled as she passed an elf selling breads stuffed full of a kind of mixed meat filling. It was tempting, but since she wasn’t sure exactly  _ what _ it was made of and didn’t want to ask and stand out, she kept her head down and promised herself something delicious up on the surface.

After wandering for a while, she found a stall that seemed promising. Strange old devices mixed with discarded Izzet gadgetry lined the tables and shelves. She stepped up and frowned down at some of them until she caught the eye of the owner. “Anything you fancy?” he rumbled. She couldn’t see him very well in the gloom, but he seemed to be a very big, very scarred human, dressed in overalls that were smeared with grease.

“My client collects strange and unusual devices,” It seemed a good story to stick to, and frankly, almost described Jace and his collection of oddities. She could use that experience as a reference if anyone quizzed her. “And he sent me down to find out if there was any truth to the rumours of something  _ particularly odd _ showing up in the Undercity.”

His eyes narrowed for a split second, then he shook his head. “Nothing that’s passed by my hands, girl. But if you see anything here that your client might like, let me know.” She nodded, and took her time making some notes on a few of the pieces, so that she seemed more legitimate. There were a few similar stalls, but she got the same answer at each one. None of them had seen anything unusual come through, but each time there was something, a quirk of the eyebrow, a flicker of the eyes, that told her that they knew what she was talking about. It was a shame, she reflected, that Berrim wasn’t with her any more. Perhaps he could have used some of his mind magic to skim extra information. But he hadn’t seemed confident going down to the market when they’d passed by, so she doubted that she’d be able to convince him to come a second time.

She was about to write this whole thing off as a dead end when there was a tap on her shoulder, and she turned to see an odd, spidery little man hunched behind her. “I’m hearing you’re asking questions about a strange device,” he said, “And while no one here has seen it, I know someone who held it in their hands.”

“Really?” She quelled her excitement and adopted a more cynical approach. “...really?”

“Yes but,” he glanced around and leaned forwards conspiratorially, “They are not a very public kind of person. You’ll have to come meet them somewhere quieter.”

Her eyes narrowed. This sounded like a one way ticket to a mugging. “What kind of place?”

“Just one of the old buildings away from the crowds.” He shrugged. “I understand your reluctance. It’s always best to put your wellbeing before your clients’. I was told that if you weren’t convinced, I should give you this.” He handed over a small envelope. Pavla opened it carefully, and pulled out a small, torn piece of the distinctive clothing that the corpse that had appeared in front of her had worn. It was a colour and pattern unlike anything she’d seen in the city, and hard to fake. “If you change your mind,” the man said, “Head to the old Orzhov building over there,” He pointed up a floor where the guild’s symbol was worn but still visible on the stonework. “And they’ll be waiting for you.” He brushed past her and vanished into the crowd. She stood there for a while, fabric grasped tight in her hand, curiosity warring against common sense. In the end, curiosity won.

***

The building was probably an old Orzhov administration centre - it had none of the gravitas of their cathedrals, and seemed to be built more for practicality than to impress the masses. She walked slowly through shadowy rooms, stripped long ago of their furniture and finery. There didn’t seem to be anyone here. The building was deathly silent, with the faint sound of the market below the only noise she could hear. She sighed, sat down by a bloom of brightly glowing fungus, and pulled out her book again. Perhaps she could find some inspiration in a fictional detective story.

She hadn’t got much further through the story since she’d stayed at the Chamber of the Guildpact - her last reading session had been rather welcomely interrupted by Marija appearing in Ral’s lab. The detective had found his wife, but had been captured by the killer in turn while she escaped. He’d been left to die, locked up in a small building in the Undercity, with a trick lock on his chains. His only hope was to break the magic on them to get free. This had all escalated rather quickly, but since he had been a magical forensic investigator she was confident he could do it. The problem was that the room was slowly filling with poison gas, which could kill him before he could break the spell.

A hand came from nowhere and clamped around her throat, dragging her upright from her crouched reading position. “I find it very strange that you’d come back down here,” hissed a voice in her ear, “Especially when I was sure we’d killed you the first time around.”

“...Urk,” said Pavla.

“I should finish the job right now, to send a message to that irksome Guildpact you’re working for.” 

She clawed at the hand around her neck, and managed to shift it enough to answer. “I don’t work for him any more! I’m here alone!”

The hand dumped her onto the floor, then grabbed her by the collar and pulled her ear to its owners lips. “Liar.”

“No really, he ditched me! I just came down here to investigate myself! Come on, you know that Jace isn’t stupid enough to come back down here. It’s just...me.” She sighed. “I am stupid.”

“You’re not exactly giving me many reasons to keep you alive,” said the voice. It sent a chill down her spine. This woman was definitely more dangerous than the assassins she’d faced before.

“If you kill me, um,” she raised her hand, her page bookmarked with a finger, “I’ll never find out what happens at the end of this book?”

There was a pause. “...You’re only halfway?”

“He’s stuck in a trap right now. I’d like to know how he escapes.”

Another pause. “Have you read the others?”

“There are others?” Pavla almost twisted to look at the person behind her, then remembered the situation. “No, I picked this one up at random. I’m quite enjoying it so far.”

“A bit formulaic, but enjoyable nonetheless. Good action sequences.” The hand at her neck withdrew. “Do not turn around.” Pavla obeyed, sitting cross legged on the floor as if she were back in the schoolroom. “Why, if you are not working with the Guildpact, are you back here asking  _ questions _ about that body?”

“How can I not ask questions? I got  _ arrested _ because it appeared in front of me out of nowhere, and as soon as they proved it wasn’t me I got dumped off the case when we still hadn’t worked out where he came from, what he was holding or even why he had such a fancy sword sticking out of his back. I’m finding that out with or without help from any Guildpact!” She sighed. “Or, so I thought. It’s kind of harder than it looks.”

“Perhaps because everyone down here knows when it's best to keep their mouth shut.” Was that a hint of amusement there? She could only hope that she was endearing herself to this stranger.

“Yes, well. I’m no Ivan Rezak,” she said, referencing the detective from the book, “I’m just a courier.”

“Really.”

“Really!” She very carefully pulled out her business card and held it up for inspection. It was whipped from her fingertips within seconds. There was a long, considering silence.

“Well then… Pavla. I have a little errand for you to run. If you succeed, I’ll tell you what I know. But I’ll have some friends watching you, just to make sure you don’t betray me.” 

This was more promising than the death threats, albeit still quite sinister. “What kind of errand?”

“I’m not very welcome up on the surface. It’s becoming harder to pick up the things I need.” A piece of paper slid next to her hand. “Fetch me these, and I’ll consider parting with a little knowledge for them.”

She picked up the list and stared. “Are these all books?” Silence. She slowly turned around. There was no one there. She paused, then pulled one of the slightly bashed custard tarts from her bag, carefully placed it on top of the business card that had been left on the floor behind her, then fled back to the market as quickly as possible.

After she’d left, an elegant, scaled hand reached out from the darkness, and picked up the pastry.

***

Pavla had never been quite this excited to see the sky, but when she emerged from the Golgari guildgate out into the fresh air she could have danced for joy. It was grim and overcast, but still the most beautiful thing she could have imagined. There were definitely fewer people trying to kill her up here, for a start.

She pulled out the list again and squinted at it. It was definitely a list of books. There were long titles and authors names, but she didn’t recognise any of them. She wasn’t exactly the biggest reader, but she at least knew the names of most of the popular novels that swept the city. Her mother tended to pick them up, leaving them around the house as she read her way through them. She sighed. Of course it wasn’t going to be an easy job. 

She stuffed the paper back in her pocket and climbed up a nearby rooftop. She’d visited a lot of bookshops off Tin Street when she’d accompanied Berrim to Nivix - that was a decent starting point for her search and it wasn’t too far away either. She paused, then looked down at herself. Mud - if she was being optimistic about what those brown marks were - had managed to splash almost her entire outfit, and she was sure that the Undercity sewer smell was following her around. Perhaps it was best to go home first. She sighed, and headed back across the city for a warm bath.

After she’d scrubbed herself pink and washed her hair at least twice, she grabbed a change of clothes and cleaned her poor boots and Ral’s devices as best she could, fully intending to go back out to Tin Street. It was tiring work, and she’d been through a lot today. She sat down for a second to catch her breath, then fell asleep across her bed, exhausted.


	6. Seeking Answers

Pavla woke to the smell of breakfast, and a dull ache in all her muscles. She groaned, rolled upright and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. There’d been some strange dreams about trying to find books in a huge library, but Boritz had been there, telling her that the part she wanted to search was too dangerous. She flopped back onto the pillow. Perhaps that had actually been her subconscious telling her to stop being so nosy. 

She reached out a hand and grabbed the list of books that she’d left next to the bed. They were no more familiar in the morning light. This was going to be an annoying job, she could already tell. And that was before you factored in the possibility that she might be being stalked by assassins to make sure she wasn’t a traitor. 

Dragging herself out of bed, she made an attempt to brush the wrinkles out of her clothes, then headed downstairs. Her mother was in the kitchen, humming tunelessly in front of the oven. As soon as Pavla’s foot hit the floor of the small kitchen a plate full of omelette was under her nose. “Smells good, doesn’t it?” Her mother gave her a sardonic look. “Unlike your laundry from yesterday.”

Pavla took the plate and sat at the rickety little table they used for meals. “I put it out on the balcony so it didn’t stink out the place, to be fair,” she said, around the omelette she stuffed into her face as quickly as possible. 

“Why would your clothes stink of the sewers in the first place?” Her mother sat next to her and gave her a concerned frown. “I thought we agreed: no risky jobs. The Undercity is no place for people like us.”

“It was just a quick job - and I hired a guide,”  _ For most of the way, anyway,  _ she added mentally. “And it’ll pay well!”

The other woman didn’t seem convinced. “I’m sorry Pavla, I just can’t help but worry. After we lost your father, you’re all I have left.”

“I’m always careful, Ma. It’s fine. I even got some better gear from a friend to help keep me safe.”

“Ah yes, the Izzet League are known for being safe.” She opened her mouth to try to explain but her mother held up a hand. “I trust you. Just keep yourself in one piece for me, alright?” 

“I promise, Ma.”

“Now what’s this great job you have from your underground adventure?” A bowl of fruit replaced her empty plate. Pavla handed her the paper, then picked some grapes to munch. 

“Booksh,” she said as she chewed. “Safe!”

Her mother frowned down at the list. “Certainly not any I’ve read. They look like histories. Perhaps you can try some of the non fiction specialists.”

“I’m gonna start near Tin Street, I saw a lot of bookshops down one of the streets off there.” She planted a kiss on her mother’s cheek, then crammed a last handful of grapes in her mouth before running back upstairs to put on her jacket and cloak. On went the daggers, gloves and control devices Ral had given her, then she ran back downstairs for the boots, picking the list of books up off the table as she passed. Her bag was sitting next to the shoes, which looked freshly polished. She smiled to herself. Both she and her mother worked to pay the rent and keep themselves in relative comfort, and shared a lot of the house responsibilities, but it was little things like this that she really appreciated.

“I’ve put some snacks in your bag,” Her mother called from across the room. “Take care out there - no upsetting any poor booksellers.”

“I’ll be good.” She headed out the door, waved back through the window, then headed up to the rooftops once more. Today the clouds weren’t as oppressive, allowing blue sky to peek around their edges and sunlight to stream down across the city. It seemed like a good omen for her search. She spun around to face the direction of Tin Street, took a run up and leapt.

***

It didn’t take very long to find the bookshops again - all she needed to do was retrace her steps, and Pavla had a good memory for directions. She dropped carefully down to ground level, and stared around the little street. There were so many stalls and shops - books tumbling out of their doors, stacked in piles on windowsills, heaped onto makeshift tables. It was hard to know exactly where to start. As she squinted into the distance she suddenly noticed a familiar figure browsing one of the stalls. 

“ _ Berrim!” _ He almost leapt into the air at her explosive greeting. 

“Pavla? I… didn’t notice you. Which is strange, really.” He frowned at her in puzzlement. 

“You did look rather preoccupied.” She looked down at the tome in his hands. “‘ _ A Life of Slime: the Rise and Fall of the Greatest Golgari Crime Lords’ _ ?”

He shrugged. “I like to read other peoples’ stories. Also, the title is kind of fantastic.”

“You’re not wrong there,” She gave him a sidelong look as he pored over the blurb. He was definitely back in the same happy place she’d witnessed when they were last here. There were already a few books of varying quality sitting in the bag over his shoulder. 

“So… I was wondering if you could help me a second with a job I’ve got,” she started. He snapped the book shut and gave her a curious look. “Because it’s books, and you’re a lot more into them than I am. I don’t even know where to start.”

“A normal non life threatening job where you fetch books? I think I can support that.” She handed over the list and he read through it in a second. “Your client is definitely a serious reader,” he said. “These are quite rare. They must have an incredible collection.” He shot her a sly smile. “Do you want to introduce us?”

For a moment that scenario ran through her head. It was terrible. “Um… I think they’re quite shy and reclusive…”

He laughed. “I was joking. Mostly. Let’s see… you might find a few of these in  _ Ages Past _ , they do tend to have a good stock of rarer titles. Let’s go!” She smiled as he charged off toward the shop. This was the apprentice she’d initially enjoyed hanging out with - not the sad serious side of him that had sparked concern. His enthusiasm was almost catching. 

_ Ages Past  _ had a small entryway, but inside the shop seemed to go on forever. Berrim headed straight for the grumpy man behind the counter while she stared around at the piles of books that reached all the way to the high ceiling. How did a person find anything in here? No wonder the apprentice had spent so long in these shops. She peered at the nearest shelf. It was a stack of history books for younger readers, brightly coloured and lavishly illustrated. She could remember having a similar kind of book when she was small. 

“Pavla!” Berrim was beckoning her over, “Geric has one of them, but it is… well. Were you given a budget?”  _ Expensive _ , she thought,  _ of course it is.  _ She still had a fat purse from the extortionate rates she’d charged the Chamber of the Guildpact, plus more from her jobs since, but there was no way she was sharing this information with a shopkeeper. Chances were low that the threatening Undercity client would reimburse her for these books. 

She strolled up, affecting a critical demeanour. “Let's have a look first. My client was very specific about the quality.” A lie, but she could imagine that if she brought back damaged goods it wouldn’t go well for her. The bookseller duly produced the book, which had been locked in a cabinet behind the counter. Definitely expensive. She judged Berrim. “You’re my hired expert, take a look.”

“Oh am I?” He shot her a wry look and picked up the book carefully. “Will I perhaps be paid in pastries?” 

“We’ll work something out.”

He flicked through the pages, pausing at illustrations and checked the spine. “It’s in good condition. It’s also 50 zinos. I hope your client prepared you for rare book shopping.” Pavla tried very hard not to wince, and from the amused smile on his face, failed. “Do you need me to spot you some money for now? I mean, I do know where you live, so I trust I’ll get it back.”

She brushed the offer aside and managed to haggle the bookseller down to 45 before leaving the shop with a very carefully wrapped and heavy parcel. “How do you afford these things as an apprentice?” she muttered to Berrim. “How much did you  _ spend _ the day we were here?”

“Well, most of mine aren’t rare books with a low print run. But mostly I use the money I have saved from when I extorted the rich with blackmail.” He smiled sunnily at her. 

She narrowed her eyes. “I don’t believe that for a second. Come on, let’s find the others.” 

He consulted the list. “Well. There are three left, all as rare as the one in your hands. Let’s try another bookshop.” She followed him down the road, and he paused in front of the next place. “You know, now that the stress of the whole appearing body incident has gone, it’s quite hard to pick you out from the background noise. I’m hoping that’s a reflection of you living a more relaxed life.”

“Huh? You mean my thoughts?”

“Not such a shiny star any more, I’m afraid. Not that I’m  _ trying  _ to find you. Even if I am rather curious about these new boots you have.”

She looked down and realised how obvious the new additions were in the sunlight. Crap. She hadn’t thought about this. “Oh. I’m trialling something. Helps me go faster.”

“I thought you were rather wary of the Izzet,” he said as they entered the shop. This one was small, stacks of books on both sides meaning she had to sidle through to follow him. 

“Well, these are thoroughly tested and not liable to explode. The Guild provides my hot water and I’m not avoiding  _ that _ . I just don’t really want to be killed messily climbing Nivix.” She trusted Ral, as far as not blowing her up, at least. He didn’t want to investigate in her place. 

“So are you revolutionising the courier industry now?” He was picking through a pile of books seemingly stacked indiscriminately into a tower. Pavla kept her arms right by her sides to avoid causing an avalanche.

“Don’t be silly. They’re just for emergencies.”

“Oh, like when someone finishes one book and desperately needs the sequel?” She shot him an unimpressed look, but he was deep in the stacks now, running a finger down piles of book spines as he searched. “Aha!” There was a pause. “Uh, can you help me lift these?” 

She shuffled around the other side and waved her hands around next to the books until she got confirmation that she was in the right place, then carefully inched the pile she was holding upwards so that he could pull the book below from its resting place, the volumes in her arms pressing heavily against her face as they threatened to teeter over and fall. As soon as she could drop them she backed away slowly, petrified that a false move would end in disaster. Who knew book shopping could be so terrifying?

“Guess what?” His voice came from over the other side of the wall of paper.

Pavla carefully squeezed herself back towards the main walkway. “What?”

“We found  _ two _ .” He appeared from behind the piles, a triumphant smile across his face and a book in each hand. She couldn’t help but mirror his excited expression. 

“Amazing! You’re the best.” She took one to leaf through it, checking for any damage. It was old and worn, but otherwise in good condition. Skimming through, it appeared to be an account of various battles between Guilds fought before the first Guildpact. Not her first choice of reading material, but some of the illustrations were nice. “How’s your one?”

“Good, really good.” He seemed to visibly pull himself away from reading a page, “Shame you need it, to be honest. I’d buy it.”

“I take back you being the best. You’re now the worst. You have enough books!” She plucked it from his hands and he sighed. 

“That’s not a real thing, you know,” he said, following her as she sidled around the shop, looking for a person to buy them from. “Too many books is a fallacy invented by people who have to share space with readers.” She ignored him. “Can I at least have a look before you deliver them?”

***

She managed to haggle another small discount from the owner once they found her deep inside the shop, behind a pile of old atlases. The tiny old woman seemed to enjoy the battle, and even told them to come back soon. Once they reached the street Berrim gave her a thoughtful look. “You should come along with me more often. Imagine how much money I could save..”

“You’ve been supporting local businesses,” she said. “Just so happens I’m also one and I’ve got to save costs.” The books were heavy in her arms and her stomach was feeling empty now, despite a good breakfast earlier. “Let’s stop for a break. What do you fancy? My treat.”

“Pancakes,” he said without hesitation. “There’s a really nice pancake restaurant not far from here.” 

He led her down another side street to a tiny restaurant run by a Silhana elf, the tribe Pavla usually saw as part of the Selesnya Conclave. It was a single room, walls lined with plants that spilled over onto the tables and framed a chalkboard with the daily specials elegantly written across it. Berrim pried the books back out of her hands to have a quick read after they’d placed their order. 

“These are real treasures,” he said, brushing the dust from one of the spines. “We’re lucky we found them in such good condition.” Pavla watched him pore over the pages and played with her knife and fork. If he was impressed by them then her mysterious client shouldn’t have any problems. They just needed to find the fourth one. She pushed the memory of the Undercity from the front of her mind, just in case Berrim shared Jace’s ability to pick up on her surface thoughts. Better safe than sorry. She trusted him, but his loyalty had to be to his master first and foremost. 

“Am I ever going to get those back?” she teased him. He looked up, confused, having only half paid attention to what she was saying, and she couldn’t help but laugh. “I should take up more book jobs,” she said. “I missed this.”

He frowned and closed the book. “You are an odd one. Most people aren’t comfortable being friends with a telepath. The boundaries get a bit… blurred.” He waved a hand at head level. “They worry that you’ll read thoughts they wanted to keep private.”

“So you can do that too?” He half shrugged in admittance. “I don’t know. We had fun on our mission. It was horrible and dangerous at times but we made a good team. My life was kind of boring before that.” Their plates arrived and she began enthusiastically digging into a cheesy rolled blintz. 

“You  _ enjoyed  _ the literal near death experience? That explains why you’re trialling Izzet gadgets now.” She snorted at that, almost losing pancake up her nose. 

“It made me want to push out of my comfort zone, that’s true,” she admitted.

“I honestly wish I could find mine again.” He stabbed a piece of pancake and examined it. “I suppose it’s in little moments like lunch.”

“You make it extremely hard for me to keep my no prying promise when you say stuff like that.” She stuffed the last of her blintz in her mouth and shot him a judgemental look. “It just makes me wonder what the heck you do for...your master.” He seemed to keep a fairly low profile, so perhaps it was best to avoid saying the G word.

He smiled, “Nothing all that strange. But I’ll agree to stop making glib little jokes if it’s testing your willpower.” 

“It really is. I can investigate too, you know.” 

“You realise you just made me find all these for you,” He pointed at the pile of books next to him. “I’m unconvinced.”

He had a point, but Pavla could argue anything. “That was just more efficient,” she said huffily. “A good investigator uses her contacts well. Stop pulling that face at me.” He straightened out the amused doubt that had been plastered across his features. “Where can we find this last one?” She pulled out the list and scrutinised the last title.  _ “Rise of the Guilds: an examination of the guild system and the signing of the Pact.  _ Sounds like one you’d have at home.”

“There are unsurprisingly a lot written on the subject. That one had only 50 copies printed. It was considered seditious by a few of the Guilds and banned.”

She choked on her drink. “Excuse me?” 

Berrim shot her an apologetic smile and went up to order more pancakes. He returned to a very grumpy courier. “Sorry,” he said. “It took me a while to remember. There are a lot of books in here, after all.” He tapped the side of his head. “I knew it was familiar.”

“Do _ you _ have a copy?” 

That prompted an admonishing look. “Not an appropriate title to have in the Chamber, is it?”

“Still… perhaps a useful one.” She sighed. “Of course I get a job for a banned book.”

“The good news is that it isn’t as old as the others. The author is still alive - well, unless someone  _ really _ took umbrage with his criticisms.”

She straightened up as her next plate was delivered, batter stuffed full of fruit and chocolate. “Are you saying he might have a copy?”

The apprentice gave this some thought, demolishing a pancake before replying. “If I was the author of a banned book, I’d still stash a few for safekeeping. It’s something I worked hard on, after all. He had the courage to get it published in the first place - what’s a few hidden copies?” He jabbed his fork toward his plate. “Aren’t these great?”

“They really are. Is this your standard day out? Books and pancakes?”

He shrugged. “When I get some time off. It’s usually quieter with just me though.”

“You’re usually on your own?” While her job was solitary by nature, Pavla was a social animal, and the idea of spending your free time alone seemed a little strange. But this was Berrim - strange seemed to be his thing.

“Of course. Remember how bored you got last time you were here with me?” He grinned. “Hurrying me up because you wanted to get going. Why would I invite someone to interrupt my browsing time?”

“Isn’t that a bit lonely?” She didn’t manage to stop the words coming out. “Sorry. I didn’t mean it quite like that.”

He waved away her concern. “Some things are best kept to oneself. Book browsing. Studying. Your random thoughts about my life.” He watched her face drop and laughed. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. I appreciate the concern, but I’m fine as I am. I’ve always been this way.”

“You’re telling me you’ve never had a close friend you always shared things with?”

He paused. “...I did.”

The silence stretched out. Pavla tried very hard to keep her promise. “So… do you want any more pancakes? My treat, remember?”

He gave her an odd little look for a second, then shook his head. “I’m good. We’ll need to find this author, so I’d like to still be able to walk.”

“You have time to do that?”

“It’ll be fine. You’ll just need to hide me if Lavinia comes looking.” He took the bill from the owner and pushed it across the table to her. “50% of my fee.”

Pavla pulled out her public coin purse - she kept most of her money hidden away in case of eagle eyed thieves - and placed the money plus tip on top of the bill. “What’s the other 50%?”

“Honestly, I haven’t decided yet,” he said as they headed back out toward Tin Street. “But I’ll be sure to make my mind up by the time we have the fourth book.”

“I hope it’s food again.”

He stood in the sunlight for a second, deeply contemplative. Pavla was struck again by the difference between working with him and Ral. She hadn’t had a chance to sit down with the latter, unless he’d decided she was so tired she’d be no use as an assistant. “I think the best way to do this is check the South Records Hall,” he said finally. “There’s no more efficient way to find someone.”

“They don’t let just anyone go in there though. Especially to find out a stranger’s personal information.” She hefted the stack of books in her arms and frowned. “I thought we were avoiding me getting arrested again - it wasn’t very fun the first time.” 

He turned and gave her his most confident smile. “I can be very convincing. I’m sure they’ll let us check.” He headed down the street in the general direction of the second precinct. “Just don’t mention this to Lavinia.”

She ran up alongside. He could be fast when he was on a mission. “What about Jace? I can’t hide everything from him if he really wants to know, surely.”

“I can guarantee that the Guildpact won’t mind.”

“Well… if you say so.” She followed him through the streets, down little lanes and through promenades. Usually she’d insist on navigating but the route he was taking seemed identical to the one she’d have chosen if she had to stay on the streets, heading unerringly toward New Prahv and the records building. There was also no way that she was going to get him climbing up to the rooftops, and this way the books would be safer too. She shuddered at the idea of dropping a 50 zino book off a rooftop. After a few streets she noticed that he was doing  _ that thing _ again, where people would unconsciously avoid bumping into him, and spent the rest of the journey watching it happen with a kind of strange fascination. 

The crowds became thicker as they neared the Azorius headquarters. At one point he pulled her across his path to sit on his other side, muttering “pickpocket,” quietly in her ear when she threw him a confused look. She tightened her grip on the books and her purse. 

“Are you constantly checking everyone?” she asked when they paused at the edge of a square. “It sounds exhausting.”

“I keep an ear out for anything that can cause me a problem. You learn to filter.” 

“A magical mind ear.” That prompted a very strange expression. 

“I… suppose so. That’s a horrible mental image. Thanks.” They looked across the square to where New Prahv was looming over the buildings, gleaming in the sunlight. “I know this goes against all your instincts,” he said, “but can you let me take the lead here?”

She shrugged. “You seem to have a plan. Go right ahead.”

“You’ll need to stay outside the building and not follow me.”

She frowned. “You’re looking at me like you don’t believe I can do that. That’s rude.”

“In the Undercity you did run excitedly right into an assassination trap. I’m just… making sure.”

“That was different! That was… underground.” He raised an eyebrow. “And I’m the combat person in this team. I should have gone ahead.” He was still just watching her ramble. “Alright alright. I admit that was wrong. Lesson learned. I trusted you to make me invisible didn’t I? I also trust you to navigate what is essentially a big old library. It’s your thing.”

“So you promise to wait out here and not follow me in if you think I’m taking too long?”

“I think you’re overestimating my abilities there but yes. I promise.” He still didn’t look totally convinced but she wasn’t sure what else she could say. Then she pulled the crime novel out of her bag. “I’ll stay on a bench nearby and read this. Happy?”

“Alright then.” He pointed to a free seat across the square, far from the records building. “Stay there. If anything happens you won’t look suspicious.”

That immediately concerned her. What could happen? What was he planning to do? She thought through the various displays of magic he’d shown her so far - minor illusions, counterspells and invisibility, and that horrifying mental attack he’d resorted to when they’d been chased by assassins. She wasn’t sure that any of that would work on the Azorius. “Will you be alright? What if anything does happen?”

He gave her that assured smile again. “I’m going to walk in and look like I belong there. It’s just a lot easier if I’m alone and don’t have anyone else to worry about. Trust me.” And she did. It was impossible not to. Berrim seemed to spend so much time assessing and planning that if he was sure of something, she’d follow his direction without doubt. 

As she watched him walk off toward the South Records Hall, concern did niggle a little at the back of her mind. Not being able to back him up did bother her, after she’d promised him back in Emmara’s home that she’d be there, but there was nothing she could do against the Azorius, even with her new Izzet tech. She headed to the bench and curled up with her book, trying not to think about it. Rugged and damaged fictional detective Ivan was still stuck in a trap, which didn’t really do much to help her relax, but she supposed it was a distraction. She wrapped an arm around her expensive books and settled in to read.

***

“...Pavla?  _ Pavla? _ ” She looked up, blinking in the sunlight, at Berrim who was standing right in front of her. She hadn't noticed him approach. “I’ve been calling you, you know,” he gestured at head level, “for ages. Didn’t you hear me?”

“Uh… “She held the book up. “Ivan escaped the trap and now he’s planning to catch the killer so he can break his nose. It was pretty intense.”

He sat heavily down next to her and sighed. “I really thought something terrible had happened to you. Is the book that good?”

“You haven’t read it?” He raised an eyebrow at that. “I just assume you’ve read everything.”

“I’m more of a non fiction reader.” He leaned in, dropping his voice to a whisper. “Lavinia is the Ivan Rezak fan. But I never told you.” Pavla let that sink in for a minute. 

“But she’s so… and he’s so…” she mimed punching. “Maybe deep down she wants to smash villains in the face.”

He laughed. “I don’t think it’s that deep down, to be honest. Anyway, I’m glad you’re alright. I have our controversial author’s address memorised, so my mission was a success.”

Her jaw dropped. “How did you manage that? I started thinking about it, but it got me worried that you were going to do something crazy like imitating the Living Guildpact, so I just…” she waved the book. “Distracted myself.”

“Can’t a mage have secrets?” He flipped his cloak dramatically, which would have been more impressive if it were longer.

“It’s like you were born to try me, sometimes.” His expression didn’t shift from a smug satisfaction. She was never going to find out what happened in the records hall. “Alright then, mystery mage, where are we headed?”

“Precinct Five.” He struck an overly thoughtful pose. “Maybe the other 50% of my fee should be making you my research assistant as I roam the Ismeri Library there.” She sighed heavily, prompting a grin. “You might club me to death with a book though, so perhaps not.”

“We’ve got quite a way to go then, it’s the other side of the Tenth, and you don’t do rooftops.” She stood, stretched, and slid her book back into her bag. “Unless you’ve got some kind of flight power you’ve been keeping secret?”

“Definitely not.” He watched her heft the pile of expensive books, “Do you want to drop those off at the Chamber on our way across? It’s a lot to carry.”

She cradled them protectively. “No, but… we could drop by my place. My ma will look after them for me, if she’s in. It’s a safe neighbourhood, anyway.” She didn’t want to risk the Chamber - not only did she maybe have someone watching her movements who wasn’t fond of the Guildpact, but what if Jace was in and picked up on who her mystery client might be? Not only would this lead be ruined, but she’d definitely get an hour long lecture on going back into the Undercity from Berrim, she was sure of it.

“You’re on the edge of this Precinct, right?” He followed as she led them back across the square, giving the Azorius patrols a wide berth. “You and your family must be doing well, business wise.” Precinct Two was for those well off enough that they could live in a quiet and safe area - being close to New Prahv was a perk, and it was away from the industry and unrest of some of the other areas. 

“My parents worked hard, and my Pa’s friend… helped us out.” She shot him a sidelong look. “Don’t know if it’s fair that I share when you won’t. I guess I assumed that you knew all about me.”

“Oh, no. Well, yes and no. You were hired to help with the investigation because you were a trustworthy kind of person who had a genuine stake in needing things fixed. We didn’t check your family history - imagine the time that would take. A one off job for the Guildpact isn’t like working in the Azorius government buildings, you know.”

“How’d you know I was trustworthy?” She wasn’t entirely comfortable being labeled as such, since technically she was lying by omission to him about her current job. And her new gadgets. And giving up on the investigation. Guilt bubbled up for a second, before she pushed it back down. If she could work this out and find the object the body had been holding, it would all be worth it. Maybe he wouldn’t mind.

“Well, Jace did go into your head to pull out that memory. It’s hard not to pick up on other, general things.” She stayed quiet, hoping he’d expand on this. She might have magic knives now, but any information on Jace and Berrim’s skillset was still fascinating. “You know,” he flickered his fingers in an attempt to communicate what it was like. “Little flashes of thought, impressions of personality, that kind of thing.”

“What do other mind mages do for a living? It seems really useful and also really dangerous at the same time,” she mused. “What did  _ Jace _ do before being the Guildpact?” Before he could reply, she waved a hand. “I know you couldn’t tell me even if you did know. I’m just thinking aloud.”

“With your lack of a filter, who needs to read minds?” he said wryly. She punched his arm half heartedly.

They wandered through Whitestone, a neighbourhood so named for the brilliant stone used to construct the houses. It was mostly home to people who worked in New Prahv - the need for workers there was so great that the area had been renovated and housing built to try to meet the demand, which had still overflowed to other parts of the Precinct. Pavla couldn’t imagine working in that gigantic building. While she was on the whole a law abiding kind of person, the Azorius seemed much too strict for her tastes. Freelance courier business was definitely something that suited her more - she could start and end work whenever she pleased, and no one would haul her up for wearing her uniform wrong, because she didn’t have one.

“I can’t help but notice,” the apprentice said, as they neared her neighbourhood - one of the smaller, more humble parts of Precinct Two. “That your knives look significantly more Izzet than during our first little adventure.”

“Oh,” She looked down at them, almost involuntarily. “Yeah, I got those upgraded too.”

He leaned down to peer at the lightning one. “How exactly do you upgrade a knife? Do they have passive enchantments on them to make them sharper?”

“Er… no.” She tried desperately to think of a way to explain them to him that wouldn’t sound horribly dangerous. “They’re more a way to dissuade people from attacking me than trying to hurt them more.”

He gave this some thought. “Sounds sensible. What do they do, then?”

Pavla squirmed a little, “I feel like you’ll laugh.” And maybe ask more questions. “Or think I’m silly.”

“Pavla, you are often silly, but I’m still helping you find a book,” he smiled at the dark look thrown his way. “It’s what makes it fun.”

“You know, you’re a lot less serious now we’re not in life threatening danger.” She sighed. “Fine, alright. After all that business in Nivix and the Undercity I felt like I needed to be able to deal with mages better. So this one… can cast a counterspell.”

Suddenly he was all interest. “What? How? Can I see?” 

“No touching! You might set it off!” She twisted, trying to keep him away from it. “I don’t know how, it just... “ A memory surfaced. “Something about isochron technology?”

That seemed to satisfy him. “Ah, so they’ve imprinted a spell onto the device. Simple but efficient. Does it activate when a spell is cast nearby?”

“No, that seems like a terrible idea - imagine if I countered an Azorius spell by mistake!” That was a one way ticket back to the cells. “I have to do it manually. And since when are you familiar with Izzet gadgets?”

“So it has no passive effect hm? Oh,” He noticed her scrutinising him. “I’m not. Isochron tech is used all over the city. And I read a few beginner engineering manuals when I was bored once.”

Of course he had. Pavla rubbed her eyes. “It’s just there to scare people off in emergencies.”

They walked along one of the quiet backstreets for a moment, the bustle of the city humming in the background. “I didn’t realise that your experience had affected you so badly,” Berrim said, breaking the silence, “I feel I should apologise. I didn’t do my job of keeping you safe well enough.”

“Don’t be ridiculous.” She batted a hand out to give him a friendly tap on the arm, and he almost walked into a street lamp trying to dodge it. “It was time I invested in my safety. I’ve been taking more serious and lucrative jobs in the past year - that doesn’t come without some dodgy types thinking you’re an easy target.”

“So this knife deals with mages who think they have an edge - what about the other one?” He pointed to the knife strapped to her right leg. “It looks different.” He’d been paying much closer attention to these than she’d realised - he must have noticed them right when she’d popped up beside him in the market, and spent the last few hours trying to find a way to ask.

Best to just say it straight out. “It’s a lightning dagger now.” 

His eyebrows shot upward in surprise. “Well, remind me to never annoy  _ you _ .”

She laughed. “After seeing you deal with that terrifying ball of electric death in Nivix, I think you’re safe.”

“Only if I see it coming.” He seemed to contemplate this new information. Pavla wondered what it was about her knives that was so fascinating. “So is that it or are you hiding some more surprises? Explosive socks, perhaps?” he asked. “Or some other kind of protection?”

“Nope, just the boots and the knives.” She paused. “Are explosive socks a real thing?”

“In the long and illustrious history of the Izzet League… probably.” They discussed the various applications of explosive clothing until they reached the steps up to the apartments Pavla rented with her mother. 

She rapped on the door before she opened it, then peered inside. “Hello?” Berrim followed her in, wiping his feet extra carefully on the doormat. She hurried over to the kitchen table and carefully dropped the books on it, then set about trying to find paper and a pencil to leave a note.

“Pavla? Oh!” Her mother appeared at the top of the stairs, carrying a pile of ledgers. “You’re back already.” She noticed the apprentice, who was lurking by the door, surreptitiously looking around the little flat. It was tiny compared to the Chamber where he lived, but homely and clean, with comfortable chairs and a small but well read bookcase in the corner. “Who’s this?”

“This is Berrim-” Pavla was cut off by her mother hurrying down the stairs to get a better look at her guest.

“Oh, the apprentice who helped you earlier this week, hello!” She stuck out a hand for him to shake, still balancing the huge accounting books in one arm. “You’re taller than I expected.” He didn’t seem to quite know what to say. Pavla sighed. Her mother was a force of nature sometimes. Perhaps in another lifetime she should have joined the Gruul.

“Ma-” she said, trying to get her attention.

Her mother ignored her, finally putting down her ledgers on a nearby coffee table while still talking excitedly to Berrim. “Pavla said you were a talented mage, what is it that you study? Do you go to Prism University?”

“Ma!” She tried a higher volume.

They both ignored her. “It’s not the easiest magic to explain, so it’s better if I just show you something.” 

Pavla watched her mother clap excitedly, and faked a loud cough, still forgotten. He drew his hands together, then curled them outward as if cradling something fragile. A glow pulsed in the air, just above the material of his gloves, and unfurled outward, forming a blue glowing flower that grew, bloomed, then wilted as her mother looked on, rapt. “I do illusions,” he said. 

“Oh, that was wonderful.”

Pavla gave up and walked over. “You never showed me anything when I asked.” She noted that he hadn’t mentioned anything about telepathy and mind reading, clearly what he considered the more alarming part of his abilities. “Ma, I’m leaving these three books here. I’ll be back for them once we’ve got the last one.”

“Did you get roped into helping?” Her mother asked Berrim, who shrugged an assent. 

“He likes books Ma. He doesn’t  _ have  _ to come all the way to Precinct Five.”

“Yes he does, he wants to meet the author,” he interjected. She should have known there was an ulterior bookworm motive. 

“We’d better get going, Berrim doesn’t run rooftops.” She ushered him back out the door, waving at her mother as they went. 

“Come visit again for coffee and cake!” Mrs Kozav called after them as they headed quickly down the road. 

Pavla turned a warning eye on Berrim. “If you do, she’ll grill you on your entire life. Just warning you.”

“You’re so alike, it’s uncanny.” She rolled her eyes. “She seemed nice, though.”

“She’s such a typical mother. Always worrying over me and kicking my arse at the same time.” Pavla smiled. “But yeah, it is nice.” She frowned at him. “Do you see your family much as an apprentice?”

“Not at all. I lost them when I was young.”

There was an awkward silence. 

“You don’t have to tell me you’re sorry to hear that,” he said. “It was… a long time ago. I barely remember.”

“I lost my Pa when I was 12,” she said, “it was just a random riot in Tin Street - he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It’s shitty whenever it happens.”

They walked in silence, crossing over into Precinct One. The houses grew grander, taller and more beautiful. “Do we have to hug?” he said, “I’m not really a hugger.” 

She laughed. “You’re safe. I think we should go back to talking about explosive underwear instead.”

“Agreed.”

***

He led her across the city, refusing to share the address in case she shot off and left him behind. She’d admit that this was slightly annoying but sensible - she would have liked to have finished the job as quickly as possible, but at the same time couriering was a pretty solitary job, and it was nice to have the company. Since they weren’t on a job for the Guildpact, and perhaps because he knew her a little better now, Berrim had loosened up and seemed intent on making as many dry little jokes and observations as he could possibly fit into their journey time. 

“Is it alright that you’re wasting a whole day on helping me out?” she asked as they passed the Izzet district around Nivix. The tower itself soared upward, obscured by cloud that had gathered over the time they’d walked. She glanced upward, wondering if Marija was still inside, scribbling across her plans. If she’d stopped for a coffee. If, in fact, she’d improved that machine they had for making it.

He ducked a low hanging pipe that pulsed a bright blue. This part of the city was covered in them - running above their heads, down buildings, sometimes in exposed parts of the floor underneath the pavement. “It’s only a problem if Lavinia catches me - why do you think I’m so good at invisibility?”

A mental image of Berrim being chased around by the Arrester flashed up in her mind and she couldn’t help but snigger. “Jace doesn’t mind?” She couldn’t quite imagine the Guildpact as a stern teacher.

“Most of my study is self directed these days. And you know how great I am at finding new books to read.” Pavla would admit, she had to acknowledge that as a certain kind of skill, even if reading about Golgari crime lords didn’t seem to relate to learning magic. 

She frowned. “So why does Lavinia care what you do? Isn’t she only bothered about the Guildpact?”

He looked up at the darkening sky. The wind was picking up, and the clouds seemed to swell, ready to pour at any moment. “Her concern for the Pact also reaches to me. It’s not so bad though - her heart is in the right place. Even if she is rather too fond of trying to make people eat broccoli.” 

They crossed the boundary into Precinct Five. This was one of the parts of the Tenth that she didn’t go to very often - not because it was dangerous like some of the others, but more because it was its own self contained little ecosystem. The precinct was academic. Very academic. The only resources they really needed from outside were food, water, and an influx of new students each year. Otherwise the residents mostly kept to themselves, working feverishly on their theories, holding debates and writing what they hoped were groundbreaking new papers. On the whole, the rest of the population simply let them get on with it. It was safer to keep all the academics in one place, and extremely useful for the guilds like the Izzet and Simic, since they could quietly poach the best and the brightest students for their own ranks. 

While she hadn’t done many jobs in this area, some of them were the most bizarre and memorable. A number of the locals enjoyed intellectual showdowns and loved to relentlessly mock their defeated opponents. She’d delivered some very strange things to these poor people, including a stuffed molerat in a funny hat, a bowl of custard with a plant stuck in the middle of it, and, less subtly, a sizeable leaflet on jobs for retired academics. She could only assume the first two were a strange kind of visual pun, but it seemed best not to ask at the time. 

Rain started to fall in single, heavy drops that splashed across the pavement, and she gave the black sky a dubious look. “Is it much further?” she asked the apprentice, who had almost immediately pulled his hood up at the first hint of rainfall. It seemed to suit him. 

“We’re close.” When he glanced her way she saw little blue sparks leave his eyes. Was he navigating via the locals again, as in the Undercity? “I hope you’re ready to bribe a grumpy academic.”

“Why do you assume he’s grumpy?”

“Wouldn’t you be if someone banned your magnum opus?” She opened her mouth, gave it some thought and closed it again. It made sense. 

“But he might be happy that someone is interested,” she thought out loud as he led her down a small side street. They passed a small group of people who seemed to be arguing theoretical biology. She’d put money on at least some of them being destined for the Simic. 

“Well, we’ll find out.” They stopped in front of a small ground floor flat. Curtains were drawn over the windows and the planter that hung from the sill was dead. He knocked smartly on the door. 

“Go away!” said a voice inside. They exchanged a look, Berrim unable to hide a smile. She hated that he was right. 

“Real couriers first,” he said gesturing toward the door. She flipped him a rude gesture and stepped up to knock again. 

“I ain’t buying anything!” the voice came again.

“Well, we are?” Pavla said, leaning in towards the wood. It had been painted many years ago, and the faded blue was still visible in patches. 

The door cracked open and a baleful eye looked back at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“We came to find you because of your book,” she said, then regretted it when the door inched closer to shut.

“Which guilds are you with?” he snapped.

“None! I-”

“You all keep coming by to check I’m not writing anything else. Sneaky bastards, the lot of you. Well, you all won, alright? I’m now cultivating Undercity ghostshrimp. Get lost.”

The door slammed. Pavla stared at it. “Did he say ghostshrimp…?” she said.

“Nasty things,” Berrim mused. “Maybe he’s got them to put off visitors.” He stepped up to the house, Pavla gratefully giving him the floor, and knocked politely again. “Augustas Kveln? We came to visit as admirers of your work,” he called into the house. “Personally, I think your essay on the Orzhov grip on the economy was well researched and critical but fair.” Her jaw dropped. He’d said they didn’t have the book in the Chamber library. What then, was this? “And your observations on the codependency between the guildless and the law keeping guilds was highly thought provoking.”

The door opened again. Berrim shot her a triumphant smile before switching back to what she thought of as his ‘student face’. It seemed alert and eager to learn, and entirely too innocent. The owner of the grumpy voice was an older man, slightly stooped and only barely taller than Pavla. His skin was tan, his hair various greys, and his house was stacked full of books, scrolls and various strange objects, all on top of each other. She was entirely sure that Berrim felt at home here. “Sit,” he said gruffly, and picked up a pipe, glaring at them over it as he lit it with an odd looking device.

She sat next to Berrim on a beaten up old sofa, and couldn’t help but let her eyes wander around the room. There was a kind of stuffed reptile sitting on top of the bookshelf behind the man, an old vase with a mix of scrolls and feathers sticking out of it in the corner of the room, and no sight of anything that could be described as ghostshrimp. She wasn’t sure if she should be relieved.

“What do you want, then?” The old man took a long drag on his pipe. “As you can imagine, I don’t have a publication date for a sequel.”

Berrim was perched on the edge of the chair, and he leaned forward conspiratorially. “My friend here,” he said, “is a courier, and her client requested your book specifically. We were hoping you could help us, if you knew of any that survived?”

“What kind of ‘client’?” Augustas said warily. 

“The kind that pays well for hard to find books,” Pavla could feel herself sinking into the sofa. Any support it had once contained had probably rotted away. “They were very insistent that I find a copy.” His suspicious look didn’t change. “They’re not Orzhov,” she added.

“Or Azorius,” Berrim added. “Those were the two who objected to your work, weren’t they?”

“Can’t take any serious criticism,” the man muttered. “Touchy bastards, the lot of them.” He gave both of them a long stare, one after the other. “What makes you think I can help? Banned books don’t magically show up in authors’ homes, you know.”

“We were hoping,” Berrim said, “That you might have a copy or two that had maybe been sitting under some papers forgotten when they were banned and missed… you know, these things  _ do  _ happen. Perhaps a copy that needed a new home in case any guild  _ did  _ come knocking on your door?” He gave the man such a disarming smile that Pavla wasn’t sure she knew him any more. Was this a special side to him that came out when he really wanted a book? It did seem to be working, so she kept her mouth shut, in case she disturbed whatever scholarly spell he’d woven with his words. “We’d certainly look after it, if that were the case. My copy was taken when they raided the libraries. I never got to read the end - I’d love to know how you concluded your examination of the guild power dynamics over the last few hundred years. It seemed like everything else in the book just...came together.”

The old man took out his pipe and smiled. “It did, didn’t it. I always thought so. My best work…” he sighed, then fixed Pavla with a sharp look. “If I had a copy or two - and that is a big  _ if _ \- why would I give it away? A banned book is a rare item indeed.”

“Money is no object,” she said without thinking. In a way, it was true. She  _ had _ to get this book, so she could find out what happened to the mysterious object that appeared with the body. If she showed up with only three, her side of the bargain wasn’t quite held up. 

“Pah, money. Do I look like I care about that? A barter system works better around here, kiddo. What have you got?”

Her mouth dropped. “Uh…” This wasn’t expected at all. Everyone else on Ravnica was easily bought with the appropriate amount of zinos. A shiny coin or two could grease your way into almost everywhere. What was she supposed to do - pull some rare shrimp out of her pockets? She hauled herself up out of the embrace of the sofa and peered into her bag. There wasn’t much in there except some flakes of old pastry and an apple. She stood and dug a hand into her pockets. Her fingers brushed something small and hard, and she realised she still had the crystal pendant that Berrim had given her right when they met - the one that opened a telepathic connection with Jace. For a second she thought she saw him frown, but he seemed to be peering at a pile of huge nearby academic texts. 

There was no way she was trading that - for a start, it technically didn’t belong to her. Removing her hand quickly, she tried the other pocket, pulling out a handful of objects and scattering them over the books that littered the coffee table in front of her. There was a stub of pencil, her tiny pocket watch that she’d picked up cheap at a market, a mostly dead flower, and a slightly grubby coin that she’d almost forgotten she’d had. The academic went straight for it, buffing some of the dirt off its surface and peering at it excitedly.

“Where did you get this?” he asked, then fixed her with a glare. “You didn’t steal it, did you?”

“Only if someone likes to keep their coins in dirt.” Deep within the Undercity, in a spot that perhaps only assassins knew about. This was the thing she’d seen glinting in the darkness as Berrim wrestled with a secret door.

“Hmm,” he flipped the coin over and over in his fingers. “It seems that I now recall that a copy of my book was missed by those miscreants that confiscated them. Perhaps you’d be willing to trade?”

She was about to reply when Berrim cut in. “Two copies.” His smile seemed cannier than usual. “Signed.” The academic pursed his lips and seemed about to argue back when he added. “There aren’t many of those coins left now, are there?”

“How do you-” Augustas cut himself off. “Why do you think that?”

Berrim shrugged. “I read a lot. You pick things up.”

Pavla stared at him as the man grumbled his way off into the depths of the house. “What-?”

“You were lucky to find that thing down there.” He picked up one of the books stacked next to him. “Ooh, this is a good one.” Any other attempts to get him to talk about what had just happened were met with a request for silence as he flicked his way through the pages. She could take a hint. And grill him for information once they’d left.

Augustas came back into the room, grumbling under his breath, cradling two bulky books in his arms. He fixed Berrim with a calculating look, then sighed and reached for a quill and ink, signing his name across both front pages. “If anyone finds these and asks, I signed these years ago, and you’ll be subject to whatever punishments they want to give you for hiding copies of these.” He pushed the books toward them. “I’m washing my hands of them.” He picked up the coin from the table again and polished it on his sleeve. “Time to get back into numismatics. Now get out my house.”

Pavla stuffed both books as carefully as she could into her bag as he herded them out of the door. She looked up at Berrim after the door slammed behind them. “Er…”

“Let’s go,” he said, and she had to scurry after him down the street, around a few corners and down a quiet road, filled with towering buildings converted into flats for the students. It was the middle of the day, so most of them were asleep, and the rain had slowed to a few rogue spots now. 

“What was all that?” she demanded, grabbing his sleeve. “I thought you said you didn’t have that book. How come you knew all about it? And about my coin?”

He slowed his pace and tapped his lip thoughtfully. “Gosh, how could a mind mage possibly get hold of information?” She stopped in her tracks, and he turned and gave her a sad little smile. “Yes, I cheated.”

“So… everything you said you liked about his book…” Pavla was slowly putting two and two together.

“That was just a few of the parts  _ he _ was most proud of. And as soon as you produced that coin he immediately knew its value. It was right there, at the forefront of his mind.” He gestured as if plucking something out of the air. “Easy to see.”

“Wow. Can you do that with me?”

“I haven’t been trying to, but yes, if I wanted. Which I don’t need to, because you just say whatever you’re thinking.” She pulled a face.

“Alright, alright. That’s… that was. Really useful. I almost believe the blackmail story.” She hugged the bag to her chest. The books were solid and heavy inside the leather. “Almost.” Mind magic certainly was powerful, and a bit terrifying. What was it like to know that everyone who was aware of your power might fear you? She did currently have something to hide from him - before, when they were working together, she didn’t think she’d have been as bothered, but now, knowing that she’d been lying to him by omission... Did he know? Surely not. He seemed to have decided to stay out of her head to keep their acquaintance on a level footing.

Berrim picked up his pace again, leading them back towards the centre of the Tenth. “I think that the second book is my other 50%,” he said. “I  _ have _ always wanted to read it, to see what all the fuss was about.” She pulled it out of her bag and he tugged off his scarf and wrapped it carefully, cradling it in his arms like a small, boxy child. “I think free pancakes and a rare academic text makes today’s diversion a real success,” he beamed at her, lighting up like she’d never seen before. “I expect you’ll want to get going to pick your other books up and deliver to your client.”

“Uh.... sure. Are you after some quiet time with your new reading material?” she teased him. 

“Obviously. I’ve been away from the Chamber quite a while too. Lavinia might start thinking I’m dead in an alleyway somewhere. Best to hurry back.” It didn’t sound…  _ entirely _ like he was joking. He turned to her, suddenly more serious. “Pavla, if you need anything else… just… well. Take care of yourself. And if you need another book, let me know?”

She grinned. “Oh, I am  _ definitely _ using you as a book expert again if I get more requests. That was a lot easier than by myself.”

He looked her up and down with a frown and suddenly said, “Just the boots and knives right? And only for self defence?” Why was he suddenly bringing that up again? Was he worried that she was taking dangerous jobs?

“Only emergencies. Like getting someone their books.” She pointed behind him. “I think you could use some right now.”

He turned and looked right at Lavinia, who was standing at the end of the road, arms crossed, rain glinting on her armour. “Ah…”

“See you around!” She ran in the opposite direction, pumped power into her boots and shot off towards the nearest rooftop, watching him shimmer out of view as the Arrester strode towards where he’d been standing. She wasn’t sure if invisibility worked when the person had  _ just _ seen you standing right there, but she wished him luck all the same.

***

It felt good to be back up high. She hummed to herself as her feet hit roof tiles, racing across some of the university buildings that had sprawled out across the area. Nothing in this city stayed confined to one place for long - things leaked out of their spaces, mixed and mingled with each other and created new things. It was part of what made living here so exciting for her. She’d heard stories of the far reaches of Ravnica back in history which had given way to rural and wild landscapes. It sounded quiet and dull, with little to do and no good street food. 

Reaching the end of the roof she powered up the boots and leapt again - hurtling across the Precinct and landing with a bit of a stumble on one of the massive pipes that rose from the ground around the Blistercoils. Another Izzet venture, they were huge water wheels that seemed to generate energy for the city - but, as with most of their buildings, no one outside the Guild really knew what it was used for or why. Boilerworks were dotted around Ravnica for the same purpose, but they looked different, blackened and smoke filled. The Blistercoils crackled with an energy that made the hairs on her neck rise. She leapt from huge pipe to pipe, the odd shout from below echoing upwards whenever a guildmage mistook her for a reckless apprentice.

The city flew by beneath her. Tin Street was a line of chaos through the buildings with the sound of merchants hawking their wares bleeding up into the atmosphere. Landmarks rose and fell in the distance - towers, cathedrals and Guildhalls all serving as markers for her high speed journey home. She landed on the roof of the apartment building and examined her boots. The first mana globe had dimmed, but wasn’t totally drained yet. There was enough left to get her to her next stop.

Dropping down to the balcony of her apartment she fished out a key and let herself inside. Her mother was so used to her entering this way she sometimes called it ‘Pavla’s front door’. No one was home, so she picked up the books, scribbled a note and headed back out into Precinct Two, her bag heavy on her back. 

She found what she was looking for down a quiet street, filled with small shops and businesses that did well enough to have a headquarters in the nicer areas, but maybe still needed to consider a lick of paint on the door sometime soon. Undercity Excursions was a small room jammed onto the corner of a much larger building - the sign outside painted in a jolly white and green, matching a board that sat out in the street exactly 4 feet from the shop door - Azorius regulations demanded it not be any further - that promised  _ The Lost Glories of our Past Explored in your Comforte and Safety. _ That prompted a smile. It certainly was one way to describe the huge, dark territory that lurked beneath the city’s surface. 

The bell on the door jingled when she pushed it open carefully. The shop was empty apart from a small woman sitting behind the counter, reading what looked like a saucy novel. “Um,” said Pavla, “I got told I should leave a review?” She was gestured toward a large open book in the corner, and leafed through the pages. It looked like the company was small, with only a few guides who worked consistently. It wasn’t hard to find Boritz’s section - he seemed to have a knack for picking up stray, lost Undercity tourists. She picked up the pen and scribbled a favourable review.

“Glad to be seeing that you survived your shopping,” said a familiar, deep voice above her head. She grinned upward. 

“Just the troll I was looking for.”

***

“You know,” Boritz rumbled, “most people aren’t quite so eager to be returning the day after their first trip, especially after meeting the eels.” They were standing back at a gate to the Undercity, Pavla hefting her heavy bag of books on her shoulder. The brickwork that curved above her head was old, moss creeping around its edges.

“I told you, I got another job while I was there,” she said. “And now I need to get back there to make the delivery.”

“Good to be hearing that business is booming,” he said, ducking his head through the small entryway. The path before then curved steeply downwards, lit by magical lamps fixed to the sides of the passageway. “Usually means a decent tip. But surely you’re remembering the path you took to get back up. Perhaps you just enjoy my company?”

“Well,” she kicked a stone that ricocheted down the passage, echoing as it bounced. “I did tell my Ma that I had a guide the first time.”

“Better to be a good daughter hm?”

“Exactly.” Her bag was incredibly heavy. She suddenly had a bit more respect for Berrim climbing Nivix with a small library. She had a feeling that it had been sheer stubbornness rather than strength, though.

“No elves this time too, straight down to the marketplace. No wandering.” He picked her up and placed her back on his shoulder for a deeper pool of… probably water. She’d wrapped her scarf back around her nose and she wasn’t going to opt for a sniff.

“No ghostshrimp either. Not that I ever found out what the deal was with those,” she said, hoping for an explanation. 

The troll opted for a grunt of agreement. “Yes. Best avoided.” They wound downward through the underground pathways, passing the odd Undercity denizen on the way. Most of them completely ignored them, hurrying about their business. The ceiling abruptly vanished, opening up into a vast darkness. He dropped her back to her feet at the same balcony she’d stood with Berrim looking down at the marketplace. “Here we are.” 

From here, Pavla could see the old Orzhov building lurking across the square, cast in shadow. Hopefully her mystery client would stay true to their word. It was only really occurring to her now that they could choose to kill her after taking the books, so fixated had she been on acquiring them. She pushed the thought from her mind. Technically  _ any _ of her clients could do that. And what was the point in giving her this job only to end it that way? The threatening voice she’d encountered had other minions they could send out to pick things up for them - this had been a test of some kind. Hopefully she’d passed. 

Boritz followed her down the vast staircase that led to the marketplace floor, and paused when she started to head towards the building. “Ah,” he said. “I see.”

“Hm?” Pavla shot him a quizzical look.

“Best not to keep that one waiting.” He poked her shoulder towards the doorway. Being prodded by a troll was rather like being nudged one of the very large, very heavy indriks that wandered the city, often used to tow heavy loads. Friendly enough, but you wouldn’t want to get on the wrong side of one.

She stumbled forwards, then waved his hand away. “I’m going, I’m going.” The troll watched her go with a frown.

“Perhaps I should have been asking for my fee first,” he muttered.

***

The building interior was as dark as she remembered. Pavla fumbled her way across to a small stone desk that had been long abandoned by its clerk, and pulled out the books. She brushed some dust from the surface and stacked them neatly and carefully in the centre, then turned her back on them, hoping this was the right choice.

“I did as you requested,” she said to the shadows. “I’d like my information in return, if you’d be so kind.” There was a silence so deep it was suspicious, then the dry sound of a book being lifted and opened right behind her. She did her best not to shiver, and mostly failed.

“How on Ravnica did you get hold of  _ Rise of the Guilds _ ?” The voice behind her laughed softly. “Honestly, I put it on the list just to frustrate. And yet, here it is.”

“I used my connections.” Pavla wrapped her arms around her chest. It was cold in here, and not being able to see her client wasn’t helping her feel any warmer.

“How resourceful. I’m very much looking forward to reading that one. I’ve always wanted to know what all the fuss was about.” That sounded familiar. Maybe if circumstances had been different, she would have brought Berrim along to meet this particular collector - they might have struck up a friendship based on book recommendations. “So,” said the voice, just behind her ear. “I suppose you’ve held up your side of the bargain.” It was soft, quiet but shot through with danger. She wasn’t going to turn around any time soon.

Pavla swallowed loudly. The sound of it seemed to echo in her ears.

“The object your body was carrying is of no real interest to me, so I’ll tell you what I saw.” She could hear the person behind her leafing through one of the books, pausing at one page or another as they spoke. “It was a gemstone no larger than six inches long, embellished in a golden metal at either end, which looked to have been taken from a larger device.” There was a pause. “The curious thing about it, though, was the power it radiated. If a person knew how to extract it, well...I’m sure there are some in this city who would enjoy such a challenge.”

“How.. how could you tell?” Her throat was dry, but she seemed safe, perhaps, for now.

“I could just sense it. But for someone like yourself with no link to mana, it glowed, rather brightly. I don’t know if that’s why the Rakdos took it, but they’re welcome to it. I have no need for borrowed power. I’ll take it with my own strength.” Though she couldn’t see the speaker’s eyes, Pavla believed her wholeheartedly. The conviction in those words seemed to resonate, echoing around the empty building, thrumming in her chest. This was someone she wouldn’t ever want to cross.

“So they did take it,” she said quietly.

“When they rampaged through our perfectly civilised marketplace, yes. We only needed the body to lay a trap for our dear Guildpact, so the stone was taken to a storage room, which was raided. I’ve heard stories of a project the Cult has been working on. Perhaps it would serve you well to search there.”

“You’re… letting me go?” There was another silence. Pavla waited a good five minutes, then turned around. The books were gone, replaced by a small stack of zinos, which would just about cover Boritz’s fee. She picked them up carefully, then scampered back out of the doorway into the dim light of the marketplace. Cold sweat drenched her back, and her heart was hammering in her chest. She still had no idea who she’d been talking to, but it seemed a very good idea to never find out.

She found Boritz by a stall selling what looked like the Undercity version of barbecue. “Ah, lucky Pavla,” he said, munching something that seemed hard to identify. “It warms my heart to see that I’ll be getting my fee.”

That gave her some pause. “...Did you think you wouldn’t?”

He shrugged. “With you, it always seems to be surprises. I’m glad I will be feeding my children tonight, though.”

“I thought the eels got them?” she said, following him through the marketplace. 

“Oh yes, well. More for me then.” Pavla rolled her eyes and pulled a handful of coins from her pocket, dropping them into his large hand. 

“There’s a few more if you get me back up to the surface quickly,” she said. 

He chewed thoughtfully. “I suppose I have nothing else on my agenda today. You should consider a full tour. Mystery and adventure await.”

She couldn’t help but smile at that. “In my comfort and safety?”

“For you? I don’t know. You seem to attract trouble.” They’d reached the top of the huge staircase that rose above the market square. Pavla looked back down towards the shadowy building she’d fled from. It looked fairly innocuous now - just another old building left for the Undercity.

“As I recall, it was you who led us to angry elves,” she said, tapping his arm playfully. 

“Because you were halfway to exploring the whispering place, it was the only route we could take.” She wondered about that strange, dark place she’d stumbled on. It had been at once frightening and alluring. She shivered, pushing it from her mind.

“Well, I have to report back to my first client so… perhaps another time.”

“I shall be looking forward to it.”

***

They reached the surface quickly, Boritz leading her on the fastest route possible after she agreed that it would make for a better tip. She didn’t even begrudge him the extra money - she liked the troll and he certainly was good at his job. Besides, she wanted to get back to the daylight as soon as she could. 

When she stepped back into the open air the sky was full of rolling grey clouds, but it was as welcome as sunlight. She took a deep breath of city air and smiled. Now she was back up here it felt like that part of her investigation had come to a close, and she’d made progress, of a sort. It was probably time to check in with Ral since she now had a description of the object. Perhaps he’d recognise it. 

Soon she was back in the air, leaping from roof to roof, finding new ways to use the propulsion from her boots to effectively cross the city as fast as she could. Boritz has been happy with his generous tip, and sent her on her way with a leaflet detailing all of the tours available. She wasn’t entirely sure if she’d want to go back down there very soon, but she supposed that future Pavla might get bored again, so she had tucked it in one of her pockets just in case. 

As she neared Nivix, she paused up on a spire to catch her breath. The first globe on both of her boots was totally drained, so she’d kept a close eye on the second which seemed to be losing power at an alarming rate. Ral must have been serious when he’d told her to get to ground as soon as the first one was empty. Luckily, she was already in Izzet territory, so she slid down the tiles, hopping from ledge to ledge until she hit the ground. There wasn’t much further to go.

Rain began to fall as she strode purposefully toward the great tower, a gentle patter on the cobblestones, and she picked up her pace. As the guildgate that framed the entrance came into view, she wondered how exactly she was supposed to get in. She hadn’t been given anything by Ral that would grant her passage, and she didn’t have anything that proved she was delivering information. And even if they let her in, how was she supposed to get past all of the hazards that littered the path up the tower? She glanced down at her boots. The mana globes on them were almost entirely dark. For an instant, she imagined getting halfway up the building and falling downwards to become a rather awful stain on the cobblestones. 

“Side project Pavla!” The sudden voice by her ear made her leap a few inches in the air. Marija was right there, standing behind her in the rain. It clung to her curls and long eyelashes like jewels, looking more like decoration than weather. Pavla stared for a few seconds, before regaining her composure. “The bossman sent me to find you.” The guildmage smiled. “I believe his words were: ‘Make sure no damn fool blows up my investment.’”

Pavla grinned. “It’s nice that he cares.”

“I know!” Marija beckoned her toward the gates. “Let’s get out of this weather. Just because I work with a storm mage doesn’t make me waterproof.” They hurried toward shelter, laughing when the rain started to pour down. 

“Ugh,” Pavla pushed wet hair out of her face. “Do you think he heard us?” They sniggered. “Are you going to tell me that we have to climb all the way up like I did with Berrim?” she said, looking at the stairs in front of them. 

“Yep, Sorry.” Marija started to climb. She was faster than the apprentice had been, but that wasn’t surprising if she had to go up and down every day for her work. “Like I said back in the lab, though - counterspells are my speciality, so you’re safe with me. I was a professional spell defuser before I got a promotion to professional lackey.”

“You’re working on big important projects though, aren’t you?” Pavla skipped up a few steps to catch up. 

Marija grinned. “Yeah. It’s exciting, terrifying, and great fun all at once. Anything that might get to Niv Mizzet has to be perfect. Or at the very least, interesting.”

That sounded like a lot of pressure. “What does a spell defuser have to do? Someone tried to recruit Berrim as one when we were here.”

Marija casually batted a stray lightning bolt aside. The magic flaring around her hand was different to both counterspells she’d seen before - it sparkled with blues and reds, forming patterns in the air in the moments it appeared. “When I did the job I was a safety measure in place during dangerous experiments. If things got out of hand I had to shut them down. I can stop nearly every spell in its tracks, undo nasty enchantments and pick apart anything magical, with enough time.” She shot Pavla a sunny smile. “It was because I was one of the best that I got to work with Zarek. He can be a hard taskmaster, but you can’t deny that he’s brilliant. He dares to try things other people are afraid to. It makes my work day more…unusual.” That sounded like it was intended as a compliment. 

“Would you want to lead your own project, though?”

“Of course!” Marija pulled her close and linked their arms. A shield sprang up in time for a huge electrical discharge to explode across the corridor, sparks sliding off the magic around them. Pavla was really not ready for all this again. It was somewhat reassuring that the other girl was so unruffled by the situation, but not much. “Everyone wants their own project,” Marija said, gesturing wildly with her free arm as they crossed a walkway that hung between buildings, strange magic flaring overhead. “But we’re not all fit to lead them. I want more experience under my belt before I go for permission.”

“I see…” This close, she could smell a mix of sweet perfume and lab chemicals from Marija’s clothes. It was quite distracting. She could feel her face heating and turned away to look out over Nivix. They were high now, with a decent view of the buildings sprawling out below them. The rain was still falling, down toward the distant ground, dropping through Marija’s shield and forcing them to hurry across to the next part of the building. “So what would you want to work on, if it was just you?” Pavla asked as they shook the water off their clothing.

Marija gave this a deeply thoughtful look. “I don’t know,” she said, “I could join the Laboratory of Arcane Geometry - they’d welcome me there since they specialise in countermagic. But that’s out at Prism University, and I like being here, at the centre of things.” She grinned, “Perhaps it’s time to get interested in something more explosive.” Pavla must have pulled a strange face at the idea of someone actually being interested in that, because she looked at her and laughed. “I’m alright with being a lackey for now. We’re working on some large scale projects at the minute - I can’t see us finishing very soon.”

They passed through an area packed full of labs - most of which were silent. Perhaps going up with an Izzet mage was an advantage, because she knew who would be away from their work at this time. The rooms varied wildly - some full of strange devices, others a mass of paperwork and one with a ball of lightning hovering in the centre above a strange mizzium construct, pulsing gently. Pavla increased her pace to get past that one, it seemed… unnerving. “How did you end up joining the Guild?” she asked as they passed door after door, then realised that this might just be a bit too personal. She’d only met the other girl for a short time. Marija didn’t seem to mind, though. She shrugged. 

“Well, when your dads are both Guild members, it kind of just… happens. I was lucky I have relevant skills. Honestly, I grew up playing with mizzium gadgets.” She spun and smiled at Pavla, walking backwards down the corridor. “Why  _ aren’t _ you in one?”

The courier shrugged. “My family’s never been in one. And I kind of like having my own freedom to decide what business I take.”

“That’s fair.” They reached another doorway, tall and metallic. “Almost there! One more walkway - let’s see if the rain has eased off.” She pushed through into the open air and smiled. “There’s a rainbow!” They stood on the stone pathway, looking out at the city framed by a halo of colour. The rain had moved on, sunlight peeking through the clouds and warming the back of Pavla’s neck. Marija turned to her. “I suppose you see this all the time in your line of work,” she said. 

“Not from this high up. This one feels more special.” They shared a smile, standing there awkwardly for a moment, then looking back out towards the view. 

“We’d better get going,” Marija tugged her by the sleeve toward the next doorway across the gap. “Else His Sparkiness might complain.” With a backward glance toward the fading rainbow, Pavla followed her up the last flight of stairs. 

***

“Courier girl, what a pleasant surprise that you’re still alive.” Ral Zarek looked her up and down from over the plans covering his workbench. “And with both sets of gear still intact. Please tell me you’re here with some news, and not just that you need a recharge because you’ve been performing acrobatics across the city with those boots.”

“Don’t listen to him,” Marija said, perching on a stool, “he’s been unable to stop checking your tracking spell. He knows exactly where you’ve been. How do you think he knew to send me down to get you?” 

Pavla blinked. “Really?” She didn’t think he’d been all that concerned when she left. 

“Curiosity is an essential trait in a scientist,” he retorted. “Besides, I was just checking you weren’t dead in the Undercity since no one here wanted to go and fish your equipment out of the sewers.” He put down the pencil he’d been playing with and leaned in expectantly. “I did happen to notice you whizzing all over the Tenth, though. I hope your presence here means you’ve found something interesting.” With a flick of his hand a map appeared over the gauntlet he always wore, seared into the air in electric blue. Her route was drawn across it, a red line zig zagging across the streets. She was quite proud of how far she’d gone, looking at it like this. Especially since she’d had Berrim in tow for a large part of it. 

“I got confirmation that the Rakdos took the object from the Undercity - thanks.” She took a glass of water from Marija, who seemed determined to make Ral’s lab a half decent place for guests. He tapped his fingers on his gauntlet impatiently as she brought the courier a stool to sit on. “And was told to check out their new project to see if I could find it there.”

“Hm. They were definitely working on something appropriately circus-like recently.” He leaned back, resting his feet on the worktop. “Not a lot to go on, though.”

“I also got a description of the object.”  _ That _ caught his interest. His gaze sharpened as she relayed the exact words her mystery informant had used.

“A power source? Fascinating.”

“Do you recognise it?” she said, hopefully. 

He gestured expansively around the lab. “There are a lot of glowing power sources in this building. I’d love to know what made this one interesting, but that description isn’t going to solve your mystery.” He paused. “I wonder where it came from.” That last sentence seemed addressed to no one in particular. 

“It sounds decorative,” Marija mused. “Not really an Izzet thing. Maybe it’s a guildless artisan’s work? Or something ancient that was excavated recently?” Ral didn’t answer. He seemed lost in thought. 

“I was thinking I could go check it out tonight,” Pavla said, “Do a bit of reconnaissance.”

Marija sat bolt upright, “Don’t put yourself in unnecessary danger,” she said. “You know what the Rakdos do to trespassers.”

“That’s rich, coming from someone who hangs around life threatening spells for a living,” Ral said, swinging back and forth on his chair. His thoughtful mood seemed to have passed as quickly as the storm clouds outside. “It’s not like she can’t defend herself.”

“A counterspell imprinted on an isochron weapon is not the same as being a trained defuser and you know it.” Marija folded her arms and fixed Pavla with large, serious eyes. “This isn’t worth your life. Why don’t I come with you?”

“Absolutely not. You’re needed here. Courier girl can handle herself.” He grinned. “She survived training, after all.”

While his confidence in her was...flattering in some respect, she couldn’t help but feel Marija’s warnings were just as important. She didn’t want to end up as the next performance act in a Rakdos Carnarium. Leather and knives were all well and good in their place, which wasn’t head to toe and sticking into every part of you while a bloodthirsty crowd jeered in your face. “I will be  _ really _ careful,” she said, more for Marija’s benefit than Ral’s. “First sign of trouble, I’ll be away. As long as you charge my stuff up?” She waved a leg toward him. 

He smiled, raising a finger that crackled with energy. “Use it well, courier girl.”

***

“I still don’t like it,” Marija said behind her, as they reached street level. The other girl had been much more subdued on the way back down. “I just… felt like I had to say it again.” she said, when Pavla turned to look at her. “I know you want to find out what this thing is and why it all happened but don’t forget that Zarek, as helpful as he may have been, probably doesn’t care about your wellbeing.” She sighed. “You’ve already found out more than you probably expected to.”

“You do?” The words slipped out before Pavla had stopped them. “Care… I mean.”

Marija’s face screwed up in embarrassment. “Well, I was thinking, maybe…” her fingers twisted together awkwardly. “...you’d like to have coffee somewhere that wasn’t a lab, once all this is over.”

Pavla’s jaw dropped.

“Oh, sorry - was I reading you wrong?” Marija tilted her head, cheeks going red. “I’m not always great at that.”

“No, no you...uh, I mean, I…” They seemed to be existing in their own little awkward universe, the sounds of Nivix dropping away. “I just thought… someone like you wouldn’t be interested in someone like me,” she finished, lamely.

“I don’t know.” Marija said, regaining her composure. “You’re pretty cute.” She ran back up the stairs, leaving Pavla gawking by the gate, then poked her head out of a window a few floors up. “Stay safe!” she yelled, then vanished again.

The courier stood there for a few minutes, guild members looking at her oddly as they passed. “...huh,” she finally said to herself, then headed back out into the city.


	7. Nighttime Robbery

Night fell. She’d waited for it in a cafe, having wandered around eating street food from the carts that were scattered around the city for her dinner. This particular place was always open late, and moved on to serving spirits in the evening. Not literally, of course. The Orzhov never let their debtor’s ghosts go far. 

She drained the dregs of her coffee and checked all of her gear was strapped on tight. There was no way she was going to allow things to go wrong if she had to escape because of one loose buckle. Marija had been right to worry - the Rakdos were violent and more than a little unhinged. She had to sneak in and out as quietly as she could. Perhaps she should have asked Ral if he was capable of invisibility magic like Berrim - his forte did seem to tend to the more electric, though, and he might just be offended that she thought he shared a trait with anyone related to the Guildpact. 

The warehouse that was filled with construction materials from whatever strange project the Rakdos were concocting wasn’t far - she was close to the docks where they’d been importing huge amounts of timber and cloth. She’d wandered past it, eating a small bag of delicious fried, unidentifiable meat, hoping she looked like a tourist. It was huge, but mostly seemed to be one large space filled with the majority of the stock. There were some smaller rooms up the back - those seemed a good bet for something that would be hidden away. She just had to get in and out without being seen.

Fog had rolled in after sunset, dropping visibility and causing an eerie glow around the streetlamps nearby. This would work in her favour - Pavla knew the buildings here well enough now that she could scale them without needing to see every inch of them, and it would obscure her from view when she was up on the roof. She stepped neatly into the shadows of an alleyway and leapt upward, launching herself skyward and landing neatly on top of the rundown buildings in the docks. These boots were incredibly useful. Perhaps Ral could be persuaded to let her keep them. 

She scurried across the tiles, creeping closer to her target and crouched, staring down toward the street level. She could just make out the shapes of people moving in the fog. Hopefully she was just as indistinct. With a little help from her boots, she leapt the gap, then held still on the roof, listening intently for any sound that could indicate that she’d been caught. The fog seemed to muffle the noise, but no one yelled and there were no running footsteps. She allowed herself a second to relax. 

The rooms she’d seen were up at the back of the building. She sidled quietly along the roof, listened for a while, then swung herself down to peer into a window. It led to an empty corridor, lined with wooden walls and floorboards. She hoped they didn’t squeak as she lowered herself inside. 

There was a faint murmur of conversation from downstairs but no sound from the rooms she passed, creeping forward in an exaggerated care. She was sure if anyone could see her, they’d laugh before cutting her down. The first door she checked led to an office. She rifled through the shelves, but found only shipping logs and import paperwork. It seemed quite an impressive operation the Rakdos had going, considering how fragmented they seemed. A guild that prided itself on chaos never seemed like the kind for project organisation. 

The next room was storage, but every crate and shelf she checked was full of costumes and a worrying array of knives. Well, she supposed they’d only be worrying if they hadn’t been owned by the Rakdos. For them, this was casual wear. 

There was only one door left, which she pushed open carefully. It squeaked and she froze, a statue in the darkness. No one came running. In the dim light from the window she could see this one was full of crates, an empty cage sitting in the corner. Hopefully whatever it was designed to hold hadn’t escaped. Pavla sighed and started to search, lifting every lid carefully and replacing it just as she found it. It was when she was on the fifth crate that she heard a floorboard creak, right behind her. She froze, and was just reaching for her dagger when something hit her squarely on the back of the head. 

***

Pavla woke up feeling like her brain had been trampled by at least two indriks. The tubbier kind. She groaned and tried moving her arms and legs, then noticed that they were substantially lighter than she remembered. That woke her up. She snapped her eyes wide and stared down. Everything Ral had given her was gone, including her footwear. She growled in frustration, language still being a bit beyond her. Did no one in this city respect anyone’s boots?

She pushed herself upright and rubbed the back of her head. There was a definite lump forming. It was then she noticed the bars. She was stuck in the cage. Someone had found her, but she had no idea how, who or why, except that they couldn’t possibly be friendly. It was time for an escape plan. She shuffled around to kneeling and checked her pockets. She had some paper, a stub of pencil, some crumbs, a few zibs and – her hand closed around the pendant Berrim had given her. 

She froze. Would it still work? Would Jace actually feel any obligation toward her if all their business was done? She hadn’t even seen him since he’d told her to go and live her life… but perhaps he could send Berrim? She’d trust the apprentice with this, and… well. She certainly would have to tell him everything and beg forgiveness. But that was better than being captured by the Rakdos by a mile, even if that sly sense of humour he seemed to be hiding decided on a ridiculous penance for deceiving him.

She rubbed a thumb across it, waiting to feel that opening of her mind she’d experienced before. Nothing happened. She tried again. And again. She pulled the thing out of her pocket and rubbed it with every finger. It glowed faintly in the darkness, but that was it. She flopped forwards and sighed. This was her only hope. It had to work. She tapped it, prompting a spark of light that danced across the surface. It certainly seemed to still be magical. She kept tapping. 

***

No one came for her. Pavla slumped against the side of the cage, one thumb still brushing the crystal, listening to the distant bells tolling the hour for the second time since she’d awoken. Perhaps this waiting was her punishment. It wasn’t particularly Rakdos behaviour though - they favoured a more hands on approach. 

A noise like a footstep just on the edge of hearing snapped her back to alertness. Someone… or something… was in the room with her. A shadow detached itself from a pile of crates and grinned. “Hello little courier. You’ve been making a lot of fuss these past few days.” There was a flash of pointed teeth and a little part of her in the back of her mind started to jump up and down and panic. “Imagine my surprise when I couldn’t just skim your mind to find out what you were up to. Luckily, you’re not particularly subtle or sensible, eh?” A pale hand grabbed the pendant from her grasp and Pavla scrambled backwards as far as she could go. It wasn’t far. “I took away your toys,” the vampire said, “and yet, your protection is still here.” He frowned at the pendant hanging from his slender hand, then threw it onto a crate. “It’s not this, either.” His eyes glowed an icy blue and Pavla fancied she could feel an itch at the back of her head. “You don’t have any magic. What protection are you carrying?”

The courier found her voice. “I don’t know what you’re on about!” she squeaked. “You took all my stuff, like you said. You better give me my boots back! They cost me good money!” It seemed important in the middle of this ridiculous situation, but as soon as the words left her mouth she realised how pointless making any demands was. 

Her captor merely frowned and waved a hand through the bars, the pale magic wisping from his fingers and dancing around Pavla. “Aha,” he said, then suddenly lunged forward, grabbing a chunk of hair and ripping something out of it with startling efficiency. 

“Hey!” Pavla rubbed her head, “what-?” Then she noticed what the vampire was holding. It was the hair clip Ral had given her as an afterthought - so light she’d forgotten she even had it in, a tiny mizzium piece of whimsy. Perhaps there was more to it than he’d let on. 

“Cunning little liar.” The clip glinted softly in the dim light. “An ingenious trinket. Useless once removed though.”

“What-?” The cage door was opened and the vampire lifted her out by the collar. The man was slender but inhumanly strong, using only one hand to hold her, feet dangling above the floor. 

He took a deep breath and smiled happily. “Ah. I can almost taste your thoughts now. I can’t believe I missed such a silly little spell.” He slammed Pavla up against the bars. “Good to know you weren’t hiding a talent for magic. Now. Give up everything you know to me, and this won’t hurt quite so much.”

Pavla tried to struggle, to move her arms, kick her legs. None of her limbs were responding. She’d been in terrifying situations before and she never froze, always did something - often stupid and reckless - but it  _ was  _ something. That cold magic was floating around her like a mist, seeping into her skin, keeping her frozen. This was it. The end of her investigation. Marija would be angry. Her mother would be devastated. She was going to be just another victim found on the street. 

The vampire lunged for her throat, then reeled, eyes aglow with magic. Not  _ his _ magic, Pavla realised, watching him arch backwards, blue light pouring from her mouth as he tried to scream. Pavla’s arm, now fully under her control, moved without thought and punched him squarely in the jaw. The vampire dropped. Pavla looked up. The Living Guildpact folded his arms and gave her a rather judgemental look. 

_ Can you hear me?  _ His voice slid into her head as easily as it had in the Chamber. She nodded.  _ Right. One second.  _ He knelt down and examined the vampire, his magic wisping in the air, forming patterns and dissolving before her eyes.  _ He won’t be getting up anytime soon.  _ Then he turned to her.  _ What in bloody hellfire have you been  _ doing,  _ Pavla? You’ve been conducting the mental equivalent of throwing pebbles at my window,  _ he picked up the pendant that had been discarded by the vampire and frowned at it.  _ But try as I might I couldn’t reply. So I had to follow that constant mental tapping on one of the few nights I was sure I’d get a full five hours sleep to try to triangulate your location because… _ he sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose.  _ Well, because I was sure you were in some kind of ridiculous trouble.  _

She’d been edging across the room as the words poured into her head. It was extremely weird being told off by someone whose mouth wasn’t moving, and not particularly an experience she wanted to draw out. 

_ And I find you about to be mindwiped by a vampire. This isn’t a normal courier job! I let you go free from the investigation so you could go back to your normal life, damn it.  _

She slipped a hand downwards, picked up a crowbar and eased the top off the last crate she’d looked in, then wordlessly pulled something out and presented it to him. It was a gemstone about as big as two fists side by side, with ornate goldwork on either end. It pulsed with a soft bluish glow in the dim light. He paused, motionless, staring at it.

_ Is that… _ His gaze moved to her and his eyes narrowed.  _ You didn’t give up on the damn investigation, did you? _

She gave him what she hoped was a lovable roguish smile. It seemed to entirely miss the mark, since he sighed and rubbed his eyes. 

_ I suppose I can’t argue with the results. We need to get out of here before we’re noticed, though. I’ll deal with your attacker.  _

She watched as he knelt down next to the vampire again.  _ What do you mean, ‘deal with’?  _ she asked, tucking the strange stone into her couriers pack, then pulling on her boots. 

He turned and smiled, the shadows casting his face a little sinisterly.  _ I think I’m being rather merciful, only removing all traces of you from his mind, since he was happy to kill you. Besides, from what I can tell… _ he paused, magic flaring in the darkness, casting odd light across the room.  _ He only started following you because he thought you might be up to something interesting. Which is extremely lucky, since I’m not about to go around mindwiping an entire chunk of the Dimir for you.  _

_ The Dimir?!  _ A chill crept down her spine. The one guild no one wanted to take any notice of them. The spies and assassins, silent, secret and deadly. Then the rest of his words caught up.  _ You can remove memories? You could have done that to me? _

_ I think,  _ Jace said, cloak falling around him as he stood,  _ that this conversation should maybe be put on hold until we’re not trespassing in a Rakdos warehouse? _

She nodded, pulled the rest of her gear on and picked the hair clip up off the floor. He grabbed it from her fingers and squinted at it.  _ You’re not having this back until we’ve escaped, at least. And you’re going to tell me who gave this to you and why.  _ He slipped it into a pocket and turned towards the door.  _ I can understand that working with… Berrim and I… may have been a little unnerving. But you can just say, you know.  _

That made her feel awful. Yes, she’d given some thought to his particular brand of magic. Its power. Its ability to pick up secrets you never wanted anyone else to know, and its ability to even, potentially, kill so easily. But she’d never intended to arm herself against it - especially in such an obvious display of mistrust. Ral was owed a kicking. 

He’d come all this way too - just on a hunch that she was in danger.  _ Jace, wait,  _ she said as he approached the doorway.  _ I didn’t know what it did. I just got told it was protection. If I’d know it would make finding me harder for you… _

He turned and smiled.  _ You’re fortunate I’ve got experience finding missing friends. Let’s go.  _ He stepped forward into invisibility, blending with the dark shadows of the corridor. Pavla looked down - she couldn’t see her own feet. It was a relief to have a mind mage on her side again, if she was honest. As the vampire had pointed out - stealth wasn’t exactly her forte. She gave a little smile, hugged her bag with the strange gemstone to her chest and followed him out of the room. 

***

An invisible hand on her arm stopped her in the hallway and they stood there in the gloom, listening. 

_ I was lucky to get in with where they were standing.  _ His voice seemed a whisper in her head.  _ To get out we might need to create a distraction to move them from the door. I can feel a few of them standing right where we need to pass.  _

_ Alright, _ she hesitated,  _ a distraction like what? _

_ I’m sure I can arrange something subtle to just catch their attention- _ He was cut off by a slamming noise from downstairs and an animal growl. 

“Have you idiots been on guard here the whole night?” drawled a voice that seemed to have its own knife edge. There was a muttering of answers. “Then why,” continued the voice. “Did Fluffy and I see lights upstairs?”

In that moment Pavla felt a sharpening in the connection between her mind and Jace’s, as though she could feel him preparing, pulling up plan after plan and discarding them one after the other. She did the same. The facts were these. They were stuck upstairs, and downstairs was a raving murder cult, possibly with something canine and hungry. The way out was blocked. She could go out of the window but doubted Jace was a climber, so that only left…

_ You can’t get caught here. Guildpacts shouldn’t be sneaking around warehouses at night, even if they do have legs now.  _ She felt surprise and confusion from their connection as she said it.  _ We need a distraction, right? _

_ Pavla, whatever you’re thinking- _

_ Not thinking. I’m doing.  _ She could hear the Rakdos climbing the stairs, snarling dog in front of them. She pushed Jace into the second storage room firmly but gently, and in the same motion turned to run down the corridor. Invisibility shattered around her like glass. She pulled her dagger from her right holster and sent an arc of lightning scything down the narrow space, ripping up floorboards and adding to the confusion. Then she leapt onto the window ledge at the end of the building and shot upwards into the night. 

She could hear Jace yelling something in her mind about not coming here to find her only for her to throw herself to the Rakdos, littered with words she wasn’t sure a Guildpact should really know or use. Some of them were from the dark places in the city she’d never go, and some of them she didn’t even recognise. She made a note of those to add to her repertoire. 

On instinct, she turned to face the building as she landed, pulling the second dagger out and blocked a huge fireball that was headed toward her face. The flames fountained past her, causing some more discordant yelling from another area of the docks. Perfect. More distractions. She leapt back upwards, watching as the Rakdos spilled out onto the street, a motley band of all shapes and sizes, accompanied by a woman who looked like their leader, towing a hellhound behind her. The dog was half fire and half bone, a magical construct that she was glad couldn’t fly. 

This didn’t apply to the rest of the group though - the Rakdos weren’t the best acrobats in the city for naught.  _ I hope you know what you’re doing,  _ Jace said in the back of her mind.  _ There are quite a few of them.  _

_ Maybe you should trust in my abilities up on the rooftops a little more.  _ She danced backwards, sending a bolt towards the first cult member who reached the top of the building, then changed perches, moving to a higher roofed warehouse. 

There was a pause, then, _ Consider me reprimanded.  _

_ Damn right.  _ She grinned to herself. There were only a few things she could ever claim to be great at, but this was one of them. The barking in the street below grew frantic, and there was some yelling as the people in the warehouse next door started to complain. One of the cultists managed to scramble up beside her and she booted him neatly in the face. This was easier than she’d expected. 

There was a moment of silence down below, then she felt…  _ something.  _ The fog rushed downwards. The dog fell silent. Then a woman dressed head to toe in extravagant leather shot up into the air in front of her, a dark magic wreathing her body.  _ Blood witch.  _ The name came unbidden to her mind. Some of the most powerful members of the guild, in politics and combat. Hopefully this one wasn’t very high ranked. Pavla rolled across the roof tiles, hoping the fog would help conceal her, then leapt up into the air. She didn’t need to defeat her - just to escape in as much confusion as possible. She sent a bolt of lightning downwards, smashing a hole in the roof where the woman had stood, and crouched, listening. 

Dark laughter echoed across the night air. The omnipresent storm clouds rumbled gently overhead. And just on the edge of hearing, Pavla heard the sound of knives being drawn. “Come out, little rat,” said a melodious voice in the fog. “Little spy. Little saboteur. Which is it, I wonder?”

The courier rolled, dropping as quietly as possible down a level, pressing herself to the wall.  _ Jace? _ she thought as loudly as possible, hoping the connection was still there.  _ Did you get out? _

_ Of course. Everyone’s outside watching the show. Do you need a hand? _

She gave this a moment's thought.  _ Nope. I just needed to know I could go all out.  _ She checked her mana storage. She’d barely used it since Ral had recharged them. Right. Time to see what she could do. 

A mad eyed blood witch dropped down in front of her. “Boo,” she said, then lunged. Pavla leapt sideways, dodging the wicked knife that smashed into the spot she’d been standing, and kept going, using her boots to fuel her momentum, shooting across the gap between buildings, twisting in the air to see the woman pursuing her, a wicked grin painted across her face. She definitely couldn’t outfight her, or count on outrunning her. It was time to fight smart. 

She countered wave after wave of suffocatingly dark magic, ricocheting across the rooftops to avoid the worst of it, leading her opponent on a wild chase around the warehouses. She parried knives and dodged blows that smashed tiles, eventually skidding to a halt on a low flat area overlooking the main square. She turned to find the blood witch standing behind her, smiling. “A merry dance out in the night air,” she pulled out a handful of slim throwing knives. “But I believe we’re done here.”

“Too right,” muttered Pavla, hitting the button on her lightning dagger as hard as she dared, and swept it around, sending a huge arc of electricity across the sky. The witch ducked - as planned. Behind her a tank exploded, sending waves of electrified water gushing down toward them. Pavla shot upwards, but her attacker was too late, turning to gape at the wave seconds before it hit. There was a yelp, cut off by a mouthful of lightning infused stagnant water, and then silence. Pavla looked down from her perch on a nearby chimney. It seemed like it was time to leave, before the blood witch realised exactly what had just happened to her. She hurried off into the fog. 

***

Once she’d put enough distance between herself and the Rakdos, she dropped to street level, hitting the cobblestones lightly and wandered through the buildings, waiting. It wasn’t long until Jace stepped out of thin air beside her. 

“Figured you could find me,” she said happily. 

“Time for us to disappear again,” he said. “I doubt the Rakdos will stop looking for you after they recover from that forced bathtime.”

She grinned. “It was great though, wasn’t it?”

“Not bad for a beginner,” said a voice from up above. “I’d have fried them afterwards though, just to make sure they weren’t getting up again anytime soon.” Ral Zarek smiled sardonically down at them. “Hello Beleren.”

“I really should have guessed that you were behind all...this.” Jace gestured at Pavla’s various gadgets. “You didn’t seem very interested when you were asked for information at the start.”

“Just helping out,” Ral stood, leaning back playfully on his heels and grinned at Jace. “After you ditched courier girl, she didn’t want to give up on the case. So I just gave her some tools to prevent an early death. You should be thanking me, really.”

“How altruistic. I’m sure that the possibility of solving this before me wasn’t an incentive at all.”

“You know me, I’m practically a model citizen.” Ral put out a hand and Krenz popped up on the roof, dropping something about two fists wide and softly glowing into his hand. Pavla grabbed at her pack - it crumpled in her hand, empty. “Now let’s see what all the fuss was about, hm?”

“Hey!” Pavla glared up at him. “No stealing!”

Ral raised a skeptical eyebrow. “What are you going to do? Your weapons don’t work on me, and  _ he _ ,” A long finger pointed down at Jace, “can't just attack a guildmage in the street. Not that he could win.” He grinned down at the Guildpact. “Tell me, Beleren. How does it feel to do all the work on a project only to have someone steal it out from under your nose? I can practically taste the irony.” He tossed the gem in the air, grabbing it mid fall and scrutinised it. “I’m sure you were planning a thorough examination of this thing. Who better to study strange gadgets than I?” Magic sparked around his gauntlet, scanning the stone in his hand in electric blue. The smug look on his face dropped to the serious one she’d seen before when he’d been concentrating in the lab. “Interesting.” 

Beside her Jace sighed, folding his arms and watching Ral intently. She figured it was probably best to follow his lead - not that she could do much else about the situation. Training sessions with Ral had made it pretty clear who would win in anything slightly resembling a fight, and even if she did get a hold of the gem, he still had a tracking spell on her. 

_ Well, that explains his perfect timing.  _ She did her best not to jump at the mental commentary from Jace.  _ He’s not wrong that he’d be a good person to examine it, but never tell him I said that. He doesn’t need the ego boost.  _ Pavla tried not to laugh. 

“No trying to read my mind,” Ral said loudly, “Or I’ll drop this storm on your head.” She watched Jace hide a smile. Perhaps he was used to these odd little threats. Up on the rooftop, Ral was turning the gem back and forth, eyes glowing as his magic crackled around him. Abruptly the lightning dropped and he sat down on the edge of the building, peering down at them. “Well. Your information was good, courier girl. This is definitely an extremely potent power source. You could run any number of machines off this single stone.” He balanced it on a fingertip for a second, then dropped it into the bag strapped to his waist. “Definitely best to keep it away from dangerous lunatics like the Rakdos.”

Jace rolled his eyes. “It’s not about keeping it from the guilds you choose. It’s about maintaining a proper power balance. You know this.”

“Yawn.” Ral rolled his eyes, “All I know is I’m going to have a great time running as many tests on this as possible.” He sighed happily. “I did need a new project. I suppose you might be privy to some of the results -  _ if  _ you climb Nivix again and come ask nicely.” He sprang to his feet and gave them a little wave. “We’re leaving now.” He patted the bag at his waist, then froze. He stared straight at Jace. “Courier girl, poke him for me, would you?”

“Er, what?”

“Just do it! Hard.”

Pavla stared at Jace, who shrugged. She put out a finger and poked it into his arm. “I don’t really understand what’s going on here.” 

“He’s definitely there?”

She gestured at the Guildpact standing next to her. “I mean, clearly.”

“Not an illusion?”

That was a stupid question. “Ral, no one makes illusions that look this real! What are you going on about?”

“You heard her,” Jace said, an odd smile on his face. 

“You…” The clouds overhead darkened. “How did you do it?”

Jace’s smile was replaced with an expression of genuine puzzlement. “What?” He looked carefully up at Ral’s thunderous expression then frowned. “What exactly do you think I’ve done?” He raised his hands. “I’d normally know by now, but I’m following the no mind reading rule to avoid unnecessary lightning bolts to the head.”

“Taken the damn stone, of course!” Ral brandished his empty bag. They all stared at each other. 

“What?”

“Don’t play dumb,” Ral leapt down from his perch, looking Jace up and down as though he could find it on him. “Where else could it have gone?”

“I can’t climb buildings that quickly and Pavla has your tracking spell still attached to her, so neither of us could plausibly have done it.” Ral turned his furious gaze to Pavla, who couldn’t help but recoil.

“Wait… where’s Krenz?” she said. 

He frowned. “What?”

“You used him to steal it from us, right? Where’d he go?”

“He’s my assistant - he goes wherever he needs to,” he snapped.

Jace gave this a little thought. “Perhaps he  _ assisted _ the stone to your lab?” He shrugged. “That would be one explanation.”

“He did seem good at preempting what you needed,” Pavla added helpfully.

Ral’s eyes narrowed, but he stepped back and considered this. “Fine,” he said, “But if I find him without the stone-”

“-That you stole from Pavla.” Jace interjected.

“Possession is nine tenths of the law - I know an Orzhov advokist who can back me up on that one.” He darted down the road away from them. “I’ll find out shortly if you’re lying.” And with that, he vanished into the night.

Pavla looked at Jace, “So… do you have it?” she said.

He laughed. “I’m flattered you think that’s a possibility, but no. Oh well.” She followed as he started to head down the street. “A little annoying that I can’t study it myself, but I trust Ral not to go too overboard with the thing.”

“You’re not going to try to get it back?” She paused. “And you trust an Izzet Guildmage not to go overboard?”

“Up to a point. And two in the morning isn’t the best time to get in an argument with anyone, let alone Ral.” He rubbed tired eyes and gave her a considering look. “It’s late. We’re closer to the Chamber than your home. Did you want to borrow the guest room?”

“Only if I get to use that bath again.”


	8. No Rest for the Weary

Pavla woke the next day back in that very comfortable bed, stretched and smiled. The sheets had all been freshly laundered, and the pillows plumped. She could get used to this - it was like staying over in a nice hotel. She plucked her book out of her bag, wandered into the bathroom, ran a very deep bath then sank into it, taking care to leave her hands dry so that she could read. She supposed that this was it. She’d found the missing piece of the puzzle. Ral would probably work out exactly what it was and where it came from - whether he’d tell her or not was out of her hands. At least it did feel like the end of a chapter. Now she could move on with her life, run new jobs again and take Marija up on her offer of decent coffee. 

She opened the book at the earmarked page and started reading, floating happily in the hot water. Ivan had finally cornered the killer and captured him, after an intense fistfight. The man was now locked up at the station, but another murder had just been reported. Was it a copycat - or did he have the wrong man? She put the book down on the side and dunked herself under the water to wash her hair. Perhaps there were in fact two killers? Pavla surfaced and sighed, stretching out in the tub and staring up at the ceiling. There wasn’t much left of the book, so the answer couldn’t be too complicated. Unless there was a sequel. She let her mind wander around the possibilities until the water started going cold, bundling herself into the fluffy bathrobe she'd brought in from her room. There was a change of clothes outside her door again, which she tugged on before she meandered down to the kitchen, picking up a few plates of breakfast before heading back to Jace’s library, where she was sure she’d find him. She popped some cheese in her mouth as she pushed the door open with a hip, and stopped mid chew when she entered the room.

An extremely grumpy Ral Zarek was sitting slouched on one of the chairs, little arcs of electricity buzzing around him in a manifestation of his mood. Jace was where she’d expected - behind his desk, flicking through a book and seemingly unbothered by his guest. She swallowed hard. If Ral was here with that face on - did he think  _ she _ had stolen the stone? 

He threw her a disdainful glare. “You’re  _ late _ , courier girl.”

“I wasn’t aware that I had an appointment.” She headed warily down the stairs, placing breakfast carefully between the piles of paperwork and books scattered across the huge desk. “I was going to come give the boots back as soon as I could.”

He waved a hand dismissively. “That’s hardly important right now.” 

“He wants us to find his wayward assistant,” Jace said in response to her confused expression. “Because he can’t.”

“It’s not that I  _ can’t.”  _ Ral folded his arms, tapping his gauntlet irritably. “It’s more efficient to use your resources appropriately.”

“And he’s having trouble saying the words ‘please help me.’” Jace said, raising an eyebrow as he turned another page. 

“You told me you could find anyone anywhere to strike them down,” Pavla took a seat, grabbing a plate of food again. She definitely needed some fuel to keep up with this odd twist of events. For a start, she never thought she’d ever see Ral sitting in the library, let alone with a problem he couldn’t solve. 

“Of course I can!” he retorted. “When I have a tracking spell on them.”

“My Ma has choice words to say about people who stretch the truth,” she said around a mouthful of pastry. 

“The point here is that my assistant has vanished along with that stone you were both so interested in,” Ral jabbed a finger on top of one of the piles of books. They wobbled. “Can’t you sweep the city and find the little bastard?”

Jace looked up from his book. “As I explained earlier, I’m not a walking locator system. There are thousands of people in the Tenth alone. The only reason I could find Pavla was that we’d had a mental link beforehand and she was carrying an enchanted item. I’d never even met your assistant until yesterday.”

Ral snorted. “That’s nonsense. I know how powerful you are, Beleren. I’m sure you’re capable.”

“Oh,” Jace closed the book and looked sharply at the guildmage over the desk. “Nice to know that it takes something this desperate for you to give me a compliment, Ral.” The guildmage harrumphed in response. “But I’m afraid it’s a bit more complicated than that. It’s true that I  _ could _ probably reach out to every mind on Ravnica. But that would likely drive me insane. I’d lose my sense of self. I’m sure there are much more sensible ways to search for someone.” Pavla stared at them. The ability Jace had just admitted to seemed overwhelmingly strong. She was someone who’d practised climbing and running a lot - these two were playing with power she’d never understand. Why was she here? This felt rather out of her league. She tuned back into the conversation. “Why don’t you just report him missing to the peacekeeping guilds?” Jace was saying. 

“Oh yes, the more people involved the merrier.” Ral gestured across the room, a spark leaping from his fingers. “And what if they find him with the stone on him? Won’t we have to answer some questions about that? The Boros love to confiscate Izzet technology they deem dangerous. We might never see it again.”

“Pavla, what do you think?” They both turned to look at her. She felt her jaw drop. 

“I, er.” Her mind blanked for a second, put on the spot. “Wouldn’t it make sense to find out more about Krenz? Don’t you know anything about his family, friends, other work colleagues?”

“You think I have time to get to know all my assistants? Do you have any idea how many I go through?”

“I feel like I could make a pretty good guess, now,” she said sardonically. Ral paused a second, then gave her what looked like a begrudging smile. “Didn’t he come with references you can check?”

“He leaves all that to me,” said a voice from the secret doorway where Pavla had first entered the library. Marija frowned down at them, hands on her hips. “I thought you two weren’t friends. Hi, side project Pavla!”

“Damn it, what are you doing here, Novic?” Ral said irritably.

Jace raised a hand. “I’d also like to know how you found the secret passageway.”

She rolled her eyes. “Don’t you worry, no one saw me. I followed my dear Head Researcher here, since he came into the lab at 3am last night, banging and swearing about Krenz and a rock, then headed noisily back out into the city. I was a bit concerned, to say the least.”

“Are you a spy? Is she?” That second question Ral directed at Jace, who sighed. 

“What am I, your personal assistant tester now?” The Guildmage’s stare didn’t let up. “Fine. She’s telling the truth. And she’s a defuser, which is how she was able to get through the secret entrance. I need to put all the illusions back again.” He rubbed his eyes. “You really are a lot of trouble, Ral.”

“I didn’t  _ ask _ her to break into your house,” Ral said, gesturing at Marija, who was taking a seat next to Pavla. She gave her a little wave. 

“You should be happy I cared enough to check up on you,” she said sunnily. “If something’s gone wrong, you should have asked for my help in the first place. It’s my job, after all.”

“You  _ job _ , Novic, is assisting on projects, not poking your nose into my business,” he retorted, but she ignored him in favour of sticking a hand out towards Jace. 

“Nice to meet you. I’m Marija.” He shook it, looking a little puzzled. 

“And you work for Ral?” She nodded brightly. “An almost aggressively optimistic Izzet defuser who currently keeps her mind oddly unguarded.”

She shrugged. “I picked up bits and pieces about you. Figured having defenses up when I walked in here would look suspicious and didn’t particularly want to end up in a silly fight for no reason.”

“Are you  _ sure  _ you work for Ral?”

“Hey!” Zarek thumped the desk with the sole of his boot. “Stop concentrating on the wrong assistant.”

Jace gestured at Marija. “Sorry, she just seemed far too sensible to be working with you.” Ral’s face screwed up in a mix of annoyance and frustration. Jace gave him a sly smile. “It’s a lot of fun watching you swallow the snark you desperately want to throw at me, since you still want my help.” His expression dropped to a serious one. “Pavla did have a point, though. It makes sense to narrow the search before we try to turn the entire city upside down looking for one goblin.”

“Krenz has some family outside the Tenth but they weren’t close. He didn’t visit. The Guild was his life. If he’s taken something-“ Marija waved a hand, “-some rock? It’s gone to another guild member.” She sat back in her chair, entirely comfortable in this new place. “Happy I came now?”

Ral’s frown only deepened. “That’s not necessarily a good thing. That stone… it was incredibly unusual. It’s dangerous in the wrong hands.”

The Guildpact raised an eyebrow. “Ones that aren't yours?” 

“Damn it Jace, I’m being serious here.” Ral swept his gauntleted hand out, projecting an image of the stone. Complex data sprang up around it, wheeling in the air. Marija leaned in, mouth dropping open. “I’m so serious I’m happy to share everything I know about it. Do you understand?”

For a second there was silence. Jace’s magic flared in his eyes as there was a transfer of information. He sat back, mind whirring. “Well,” he said. “You could have opened with that.”

“It generates mana with no cost,” Marija whispered reverentially. “If you had some way to continually draw on it… you could power just about anything.” She was on the edge of her seat, almost vibrating with excitement. 

“Anything?” Pavla considered this. 

“We wouldn’t need the boilerworks - we could clean up the air. Everyone could have access to as much energy as they needed!”

“You could also,” Ral said, cutting her off, “use it to level the city, intimidate entire guilds or commit mass murder.” She slumped in her chair. “I’ve tried injecting a bit of cynicism into her,” he said aside to Jace. “But it just doesn’t stick.”

“Don’t ruin things, the world needs optimists.” The Guildpact pushed some books aside and looked closer at the projection. “What’s that bit?”

Pavla watched them debate parts of the data, niggling over tiny details and pulling apart theories. She leaned over to Marija. “Don’t you think they’d make good friends, if they got over the whole…” she waved a hand, “grudge thing?”

“Mm-hm. Don’t let His Sparkiness hear you say that though.”

She mimed buttoning her mouth shut, making Marija laugh. “You said that for Krenz his guild was his life,” Pavla said thoughtfully. “Was that only working for Ral, or for other people too?”

“Conveniently placed sinister people?” Marija asked playfully. “Sorry, it’s not quite that easy. His main job was with us.” She took on that look of deep thoughtfulness that Pavla recognised from Nivix. “He did like to visit other labs in his free time, though. What little of it Zarek left for him.” She smiled. “He was pretty fascinated with the work they did in the Laboratory of Continuism. Who wouldn’t be, though?” She noticed Pavlas blank expression. “Time manipulation.”

“Oh. I think I’ve experienced some of the side effects from that a few times now.” The memory of it made her brain itch. “It wasn’t… comfortable.”

“It's definitely some of the weirdest work I ever did. I was only there a few months but the spells are  _ fascinating _ to unpick. And some of the machines they have…” Marija seemed to drift off a little. “Either way, we should definitely focus our search within the Guild first. Trouble is, we’re all over the city.” They looked up to see Jace and Ral watching them.

“You are,” Jace swept a hand across the desk, covering it with a map of the Tenth. “Time for the two Izzet members here to point out all the places we might find their colleagues.” 

Marija leapt from her chair and started poring over the map. “The detail on this is amazing,” she said excitedly. “I can see my apartment from here. And Nivix looks so cute!” 

Jace reached out and tapped the tower. It lit up with a red glow. “You can just mark anywhere that the Izzet reside like so,” he said, then shot Pavla a wry look. “This illusion is a bit hardier than the last one I used as a map.” Marija immediately tapped several buildings, lighting the map up in a riot of colour. Some places were obvious - Nivix and the surrounding area, the Blistercoils and the various boilerworks across the city. Others were smaller, less well known places. Tiny little buildings tucked down alleyways, old warehouses abandoned and taken over for messy experimentation. 

Pavla watched the map start to fill out. The Izzet were integrated completely with the city - which made sense for a guild that helped maintain so much of its infrastructure, but it was going to be a huge job to check every location. She shuffled up next to Marija, who was taking a break, staring at the map with probably the same thoughts running through her head, and reached out and pointed to a spire in front of the guildmage. 

“Up here,” she said, “is the best sunset view in the whole city.”

The other girl gave her a considering look, then bent down to consider the building. “How many other spots have you trialed to make sure that this claim is correct?” she said playfully. 

“Hundreds,” Pavla grinned. “This one is high enough for a great view across most of the city, faces out towards Precinct Three which is probably the, er, least polluted area.” Since the Izzet League didn’t have anything there. “And it has a handy ledge to sit on. Just trust me.”

“That’s extremely high. I'm not a rooftop percher like the boss man, you know. I can’t fly.”

“I’d help you get up there. You’re safe with me.” There was a moment where they exchanged a look over the illusionary city. Then Ral’s arm stuck between them and tapped another building.

“Stop slacking off,” he said, “we’ve barely covered the major labs.”

“You realise I don’t work for you any more,” Pavla reminded him. 

He gave her an arch look. “As you so helpfully mentioned this morning, you’ve still got the kit I lent you, so actually…”

She sighed, then reached over and ran a finger down Empty Cup Row. “Someone else was here when we were, right?”

He rubbed his chin. “Well, yes. But there aren’t many people who use the area. The Conclave keep trying to grow trees in it. They’re unhappy if you blow them up, for some reason.”

“Still worth a check, most of the experiments there are big and dangerous.” Marija said as her fingers danced over the map. She paused and gave him a sidelong look. “What were you two doing there?”

“Project testing.” Ral said abruptly, then stepped back to look at their work. “I don’t know if we’ve narrowed the search, as such.”

Jace swept his hands across the table and the miniature district lifted and spun in front of them. The different Izzet buildings changed shades, ranging from a brilliant red to a deep purple. “That should reflect the population density,” he said. “It makes sense to sweep the most busy areas first. The League members can get into the bigger buildings easily. Pavla can use her boots to cover a large area and I…” He tailed off, looking up toward the library doors. “...will get on with my very important work as the Guildpact.”

“What?” Ral turned and looked up at Lavinia, who was watching them with a cynical eye. “Ah. Good morning, Arrester.”

She walked up to the table, eyeing the projection. “Working hard?” 

“Izzet guild relations meeting.” Ral said, “We’re hard to keep up with. You know. Constant innovation.”

“And is Pavla Kozav a member now too?” She said, looking down at the courier, who gave her a nervous smile. 

“She’s my temporary junior assistant.” He rested an elbow on Pavlas head, prompting a glare upwards. “She’s small but fast.  _ Someone _ needs to fetch the coffee, after all. How else am I supposed to work?” He paused. “Damn. I should have sent you to get some as soon as you showed up, courier girl.” 

She pushed his arm away. “25 zinos an hour plus expenses,” she said, almost without thinking.

“Excuse me? You got free gear to use and you’re charging me?”

“Well, the boots will just make me faster. You’ll save money in the long run.” She smiled winningly up at him. Ral narrowed his eyes. 

“We’ll discuss it. Along with your definition of  _ expenses _ .” He pulled a small device from his pocket and sat back in a chair to fiddle with it. “I can make something to transport that map with us if you give me half an hour. Courier girl, you need to get me parts, and you’re not charging me for the job unless you have a bloody good memory and don’t need your own copy.”

“There’s quite a crowd this morning already,” Lavinia said, ignoring him. “Some are small complaints that I can deal with, but others won’t be happy unless they see you, Guildpact.”

“I’ll be up shortly,” he said, sorting the books that had been pushed aside into neater piles. 

“A few of them are ridiculous. There’s a group of Golgari who swear blind that someone used lightning magic to set eels on them in the Undercity.” She looked at the two Izzet League members in the room. Ral looked unimpressed. 

“Do I look like someone who enjoys forays into the sewer?” he said, not taking his eyes off the various parts he’d disassembled his device into. “They probably deserved it, anyway.”

“And I had word that you accessed the South Records Office, Guildpact.” Jace looked up from his desk at those words. Pavla froze. Had Berrim  _ actually _ imitated Jace to get in? He glanced at her, then back to Lavinia and shrugged. 

“Had to check something.”

“You realise we have people who can do that for you?”

“You shouldn’t leave everything to assistants, right Ral?” Jace said sunnily. The Guildmage gave him a sharp look. “Besides, you’re always talking about fresh air and exercise.”

She gave him a long, searching look, then turned back to the door. “I’ll get started. If you’re not there within the hour I’ll drag you up myself.”

The sound of the door slamming behind her echoed around the library. They exchanged looks. “Well,” said Jace, “looks like you’ve got me for an hour. Better get moving.”

“Erm,” Pavla gestured up towards the spot Lavinia had stood. “I think when she said within the hour she didn’t mean for you to stay here the full sixty minutes.”

“Lets not worry about semantics. I have an hour before I’m forced to leave, that’s what’s important.”

“And I require his presence to imprint this spell onto my mapping system.” Ral flourished a tiny screwdriver toward her. “So you’d better get those extra parts as fast as those boots allow. Come here, I need to check your gear first.”

Pavla sighed and trudged over. Ral refilled her boots and knives with mana, seemingly satisfied by how the work held up. He straightened, looked down at her head and frowned. 

“Looking for this?” Jace placed the mizzium hair clip onto his busy desk. The Guildmage gave him a smug little smile at the sight of it. “This thing almost killed Pavla. So perhaps she should leave it behind this time?”

Marija sat bolt upright in her seat. “What do you mean, almost killed her?”

“But it worked, though?” Ral said thoughtfully.

“If you mean - did it block my telepathy to the point that I couldn’t respond to her call for help, almost getting her eaten by a vampire, then yes, it did work.” Jace whipped it out from under Ral’s fingers. “I’ll keep hold of this for now.”

Zarek folded his arms. “You have to admit it’s a clever little spell,” he said stubbornly. “The harder you push, the stronger it gets. It was to keep  _ everyone _ out of her head - the girl has no magical defenses.” He held out a hand. “And it’s my work. Hand it over.”

“See, I was reminded recently that possession is nine tenths of the law, so I think I’ll just…” Jace slipped it into a hidden pocket. “Keep it safe and sound.”

Pavla watched Ral’s eye twitch.

“Fine,” he waved a hand dismissively. “It’s not like I can’t replicate my work.” He dropped back into his chair, picking up a half reassembled device. “I’ll need to make four of these - assuming Beleren has time to join our search.”

“Why don’t we just get Berrim to help?” Pavla frowned. “If Jace needs to stay here, wouldn’t it make sense to take him instead?”

“Can’t be done,” Jace said. “He’s on a well earned holiday.”

She gave him a funny look. “Should apprentices get holidays? And right now? It would have been useful to have him here.” She sighed. “He was fun to investigate with.”

“Sorry,” Jace said with a smile.

“You’re doing the thing again where you say sorry but don’t mean it.” She grabbed the list Ral stuck in front of her, a scrap of paper ripped from his notebook again. “Did you send him off on holiday on purpose? There’s something about you two…” Behind her she heard Ral stop working, as though he was watching them closely. “You know,” she said thoughtfully. “I think I’ve worked it out.”

Jace’s face dropped to a serious expression. “Oh?” 

“You look similar, act similar, have the same branch of magic… and you’re trying to keep him out of danger. You’re obviously related. I bet you’re cousins or something.” She gave him a triumphant look. Behind her Ral coughed loudly.

“Well, if I did have a secret cousin I obviously couldn’t confirm or deny that,” Jace said deliberately. 

“Knew it.” She peered at the list. Ral’s writing was hurried but elegant - she had quite the list of parts to find. “I’ll be back soon,” she said, walking up to the door. “Try to behave while I’m gone!” 

“I can’t even believe you,” she heard Ral say as she headed up the stairs.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Jace replied. “Why don’t you just tell me what you need to make this map work?” She slipped out through the doorway, leaving them to bicker.

***

With her boots recharged, getting the parts was a breeze. She hopped from shop to shop, ticking things off the list as she went, and dropped back into the little courtyard around the back of the Chamber, landing with a flourish. A trip that would have taken her over an hour had been cut in half. She really needed to find a way to convince Ral to let her keep these boots. 

She hurried back to the library, expecting to be told off for being tardy, only to find the Guildmage passed out in his chair, snoring gently. She shot Jace a confused look. He was contentedly going through paperwork, paying Ral no mind. 

_ He ran out of steam and just drifted off. It seemed pointless to wake him until you got back with more parts. Besides, Marija isn’t back with his coffee yet.  _

_ For a moment I thought you’d used that sleep spell you threatened me with.  _ She pulled bags of parts from her bag, lining them up on the desk.

_ I’d never get away with it. Ral always puts up extra defenses when he knows we’ll be in the same place. He’s not a trusting person. Not that I can blame him.  _ He raised an eyebrow.  _ And imagine the fallout when he woke up.  _

She wondered for a moment what a storm would do if summoned inside a library.  _ Well, we do have to wake him up before Lavinia comes to get you for Guildpact work.  _ She reached out a hand to tap him on the shoulder, then pulled it back.  _ What if I get zapped? You do it.  _

_ I’m good waiting.  _ Jace pulled more paperwork in front of him, building a wall of excuses.  _ Besides, look, I’m working.  _

Pavla was about to retort that he, at least, had the ability to counter whatever a rudely awakened storm mage might throw at him, when Marija popped up next to her, a huge mizzium flask in one hand and a cup in the other. “Let me guess,” she said, “you’ve been arguing over who wakes up the boss man. We have this ritual every time we get a new set of assistants in.” She leaned down and wafted the coffee under his nose, moving swiftly out of the way when Ral jerked awake.

“What the-” he blinked, disorientated, then glared directly at Jace. “Why did you let me fall asleep, Beleren? You know we’re on a time limit.”

“Sorry, I forgot it was my fault you hadn’t slept all night,” Jace said, not looking up from his papers. “Next time you pass out in my library I’ll be sure to pop inside your head to wake you up.”

“You better bloody not,” Ral took the cup from Marija and drained it. “How long was I out?”

“Oh, only about ten minutes,” she said breezily, refilling the cup. “We’ve got everything to continue now. What do you need me to do?”

He rubbed his eyes and frowned down at the parts on the desk, then the compact gadget in his hand that he’d been working on. “We need four of these. We’ll bind Beleren’s map to them so the spells are linked and update as one.” As he spoke he picked up the last few parts required and fitted them, then handed it over to Marija. She examined it thoughtfully. 

“We could probably sell this idea to the general populace. Imagine a live map that updates - revolutionary for anyone transporting goods around the city.”

“Forget it,” Ral waved a hand dismissively. “The spell still needs a mage actively powering it. I doubt anyone has time or resources to do that for half the city.”

“I certainly don’t.” Jace said from behind a particularly large document. 

“Oh come on - I’m sure we could find a way to make it self powering-“

Ral snatched it back out of her hands, cutting her speculation off. “Shelve that idea for later. For now we just need this to work.”

“Fine, fine,” she pouted. “So long as it’s not shelved forever.”

“We’re not here for civic improvements, we’re here to catch the bastard who orchestrated stealing that stone from me - whether it was Krenz or someone giving him instructions. They’re not getting away.” His eyes flared that bright lightning glow for a second. “No one fools me and lives to tell the tale.”

From behind his paperwork Jace threw Pavla an amused look. Something slid into place.  _ Did… you… is that what happened between you two? _

_ Absolutely not. I’m alive, aren’t I? That couldn’t possibly be it.  _ The words appeared in her mind as he made sure to look busy, reading over documents and signing at the bottom. 

_ One day I’ll find out exactly what happened,  _ she thought back.  _ There’s no way you had no witnesses.  _

_ So nosy.  _ He picked up another stack of paper to hide his smile.  _ I only just pulled you out of trouble you created with your own curiosity. Are you diving back in already? _ This teasing felt familiar - Berrim had the same sense of humour. This was only cementing her theory that they'd grown up together. It was nice that he’d loosened up too though - Jace had been trying to stay formal with her in their interactions at first, she realised. But with Ral here to verbally joust with, he seemed to have forgotten to do so. Or perhaps having to rescue her from a vampire meant she’d reached a closer level of acquaintance. It was probably the former. Jace seemed to take great amusement in Ral having to come ask for his help. 

“Courier girl!” She snapped out of her thoughts to see the Guildmage eyeing her sternly. “If you’re just sitting there, you can go get more coffee.” He slid the empty flask over to her end of the table with such force that she had to catch it before it fell into her lap. Great. She couldn’t help with the work like Marija, so she was now assigned the role of coffee fetcher. 

She must have radiated displeasure, since Jace plucked the flask from her hands within a few seconds of it landing there. “You know I have kitchen staff here for that kind of thing, Ral,” he said. “I have a better idea of what Pavla can do for me.”

Ral straightened in his chair. “Oh, so now she’s  _ your  _ assistant, is she?”

“Well, I  _ am _ the one willing to pay her for her time right now. She doesn’t need any of your fancy gadgets to do this job either, so she won’t be beholden to you.” He pulled some coins from a hidden pocket within his cloak and slid them over to Pavla. “Here’s your advance.”

She looked down at the stack of coins warily. “What’s the job?”

“Helping me with Guildpact work - it might buy us a little more time, and you’ll make a friend of Lavinia too - very helpful for any future scrapes you end up in when suffering from excess curiosity.” She pulled a face at his last few words, but had to admit, it did sound like an easy way to fill the time while Ral and Marija were working.

“Alright, I’ll take each errand under consideration,” she said, careful not to offer a blanket agreement.

“Have you been running Orzhov rooftops? That was almost lawyerly.” Jace said, pulling a sheaf of paper out from under a pile of books. “Right. I’ve agreed these ones, so I just need to speak them aloud and they’re law.” He paused. “Not sure I’ll ever get used to that.” She watched him go through them one by one, speaking new Guild territories and restrictions into existence. It was easy to forget what a Living Guildpact really represented, when you were bothering him in his study as often as she had been. This was powerful and ancient magic put into place by Azor, the Parun of Lavinia’s guild, founder and creator of the first Guildpact when it was just a magical agreement. 

She noticed Ral watching too, and wondered what was going through his head. If he’d been running the Maze too, in competition for that power, was he jealous? Had he known what was at stake? Would an Izzet Guildmage even want the job of Guildpact, at the expense of his work for his Guild? She’d never know - there was no way he’d bring the subject up and she would never dare to do it herself. It would be like prodding an angry dragon. One that spat lightning.

She took the paperwork Jace handed her carefully - she’d carried documents before, but nothing quite like this. “Head down the hallway to the loudest room,” he said. “Lavinia will be there. Hand these over and offer her some help - she’ll be glad of it.”

“Alrighty.” Pavla stepped back and turned to the doorway.

“Hold on a moment,” She spun back around. “I’d suggest you leave your gadgets here. Wouldn’t want a group of disgruntled Golgari to mistake you for the person who set eels on them in the Undercity, now would you?” His face was deadpan, but somehow, she knew that he knew. It must have popped up in her mind when Lavinia had mentioned it.

“Oh, yeah. Best to be careful.” She carefully placed her daggers on the desk and unstrapped the boosters from her boots. “Take care of my babies for me, okay?” He nodded, amusement clear on his face. She could feel Ral watching her intently - there was no way he’d missed the undertone of that conversation. She hoped he wasn’t going to string her up for misusing the knives later on.

She hurried up the steps that led to the main building, looking back when she reached the top. Jace was back to his documents, and the two Izzet League members were working together on the little gadgets in a beautiful synchronicity. Parts were passed back and forward, tools dropped in the right places at the time the other person needed them, all without a word being said. She almost felt a little jealous. She’d always prided herself on the independence of her job, but it would be nice to work like that with someone you knew so well. Her thoughts were interrupted by one of the kitchen staff running past her into the room with a new flask of coffee, and she headed out toward the noise. 

***

Jace had been correct in where she’d find Lavinia - the Arrester was overseeing a room jammed full of jostling guild members, a cacophony of noise making it hard to think. She squeezed through the crowd and presented the paperwork to her. Lavinia gave her a brief puzzled look, but her usually stern expression softened slightly when she looked over the documents. 

“I suppose at least he’s working, even if he isn’t here,” she muttered. She looked at Pavla, who was still standing there attentively. “I’m not tipping you.”

“Jace told me to help you out.” Pavla crossed her arms. “I’m not charging.” Though he’d given her an advance, this seemed fair enough when the Guildpact had taken time out to make sure she wasn’t being murdered in a warehouse. She’d consider giving him those coins back. Perhaps. 

_ So generous.  _ She almost leapt a foot in the air at his comment popping into her head. 

_ Do you mind? _

_ I came to help out. Not my fault your surface thoughts were right there.  _

Lavinia had been administering a huge book that listed plaintiffs, complaints and requests. She gave Pavla a considering look, tapping her fingers on the pages. “Very well. You can head over to the shambolic queue that has formed over on the far side of the room and take names and details of problems. I hope your handwriting is acceptable.”

Pavla snapped to attention. “It’s definitely better than Jace’s!”

_ Hey! _

“A low bar but better than nothing.” The Arrester handed her a clipboard and pencil. “Off you go.”

_ Only Guildpacts who show up don’t get roasted.  _ Pavla thought as she squeezed her way through the crowd.

_ And here I was, offering to help you clear some of this queue. I’m multitasking right now, you know. I’ve got about eighty documents to read - Lavinia seems to make piling them on my desk her hobby.  _ She felt her attention being directed to a group of Selesnya Conclave guild members - a Loxodon towering over a group of elves.  _ I’ve approved their request for a territory change. You can let them know so they can get on with their day. _

_ _ _ You really think they’ll believe me?  _ There was no reply. She sighed, and hurried up to relay the message. To her surprise, the group merely nodded and headed out of the door. She was so used to having to hand something over to people for them to be happy, it felt rather odd to only hand over words. There were no further instructions in her mind so she started taking names and a summary of each person’s request or problem, as Lavinia had directed. Some of them were suitably boring - guilds wanting more space, or for their neighbours to have less, building expansions and silly little legal battles that the Orzhov hadn’t settled between Guilds. Others were decidedly more insane - a group of goblins who wanted permission to run bomb tests near the Conclave, a Rakdos juggler who had thrown one too many fiery batons towards some Boros Skyjeks, and a group of Simic and Golgari guildmages who were having a very loud argument about sea mushrooms. 

She was just taking notes on a dispute about squirrels, of all things, when Jace reappeared in her head.  _ Sorry, just had to explain to Ral why I was ‘doing the magic thing’, and then Marija tried to convince me to allow her to pick apart this spell to see how it worked, while I was using it.  _ She snorted at that, halfway through writing a sentence, and tried to cover it up as a cough.  _ I can’t see the Conclave group, so I assume they were happy. There’s a couple more you can clear for us too.  _ She went from group to group as directed, relaying exactly what Jace’s disembodied voice told her to, and once or twice pretending to conjure magical evidence for anyone who doubted her, gesturing with a flourish as an illusionary copy of their newly minted law or ruling appeared just above her fingertips. The frazzled looking Golgari elves sitting in the other corner of the room didn't seem to recognise her, but she gave them a wide berth nonetheless.

_ This is fun, _ she mused as the last group cleared out of the hall.  _ We should play pretend magic more often. _ The room was a little emptier now, and she had a page full of names carefully written down for the ones whose problems hadn’t been solved yet. It had been a productive half hour. Humming happily, she turned and almost walked right into Lavinia’s breastplate, the Arrester frowning down at her. 

“While I’ll admit that what you’re doing is useful,” she said. “I’d like to take the time to remind you both that the Guildpact is due to appear for work here very shortly, and if he doesn’t, I’ll come and drag him by the scruff-”

“Hello Lavinia.” Jace said from behind her. “Thank you as always for your hard work.” 

Pavla watched her visibly collect herself, stifling all irritation and smoothing her expression before she turned to reply. “Ah Guildpact, I’m glad you found the time to attend our little patch of chaos,” she said, all formality.

“But of course. I left a pile of finished documents with one of your assistants over there,” he said, jerking a thumb at the desks where overworked looking Azorius clerks were working their way through the queues. “I very much hope that you don’t have more for me just yet.”

“You,” she said, plucking the clipboard out of Pavla’s hands, “Are required next door for escalated disputes.” She frowned down at the list in front of her. “Nothing too pressing here. Kozav, are you staying with us any longer?”

“Erm…” Pavla said.

“She’s required for another job,” Jace dropped something small and heavy into her hands. “This needs to be delivered to Plaza East. There’s further instructions there.” She looked down at what he’d given her. It was a small velvet bag with something inside that seemed the right size to be what Ral and Marija had been working on, and a tightly folded piece of paper.

“On it,” she said, sticking it into her pocket. 

“And this is yours.” He handed over a bag that clinked as she took it - her gear. She slung it over her shoulder and turning to the exit. “One second.” He reached out and tapped her squarely on the forehead. Something magical flashed just out of her sight.

“If that was another bloody tracking spell,” she said through gritted teeth. He laughed. 

“Don’t you worry - it was just something similar to Ral’s sneaky little accessory he gave you. You’ll be harder for other telepaths to read, but I’ll still be able to get into contact. We’d rather not have any more vampires joining us on our search, and Ral and Marija have their own defences already.” He paused. “Especially Ral.”

That didn’t seem so bad. “Thanks,” she said then slipped back through the doors that led to the quieter corridor, through the attics and back up to the roof, pulling on her gear and unfolding the paper he’d given her once she reached a comfortable perch.

_ Meet at Plaza East,  _ it said in Jace’s spiked handwriting.  _ Begin the search. _ She grinned happily and emptied the pouch into her hand. It did have an odd mizzium device in it as expected, but another, smaller object also tumbled out. She held up the familiar little gemstone pendant then slipped it around her neck. It pulsed a gentle blue, and she brushed her thumb across its surface as she leapt from the rooftop. 

_ An easy way to keep an eye on you all.  _ Jace’s voice slipped into her mind again. Now she was getting used to it, it was kind of comforting to know he was there. After the whole vampire thing, especially.  _ No more vampires, _ he said, picking up on her surface thoughts.  _ That charm I put on you should keep any more curious telepaths away.  _

_ Are there many?  _ She swung on a cornice, hopped over a gargoyle which grunted as she passed, and headed across another flat roof towards the square. 

_ Only when it’s inconvenient. They’ll just be skimming people for interesting tidbits anyway. You’ll be safe enough. My work is subtler than Ral’s - no one will notice you’re cloaked.  _ Pavla wondered if she’d ever given anything important away without realising. A courier picked a lot of things up on her journeys across the city.  _ Probably, _ he said.  _ But you’d never know. It’s all part of the ecosystem here anyway.  _

“Right,” she said to herself, pausing to look out over the plaza. “Like all the explosions and rampaging animals.” She picked out Ral and Marija in their guild colours at one corner of the square. It looked like they were debating something. Above them, rays of sunlight were streaming through cracks in the dark clouds, lighting up the sky and throwing dramatic light across spires and rooftops. The water in the huge fountain at the centre of the plaza sparkled. No one below seemed to notice. She sighed and took a moment to appreciate the view, leaning against the brickwork.

_ Pavla? Is everything alright? You stopped.  _

She jerked out of her reverie. “Just taking a break. Can’t you see everything I do?”

_ A little impractical when I’m supposed to be solving escalated disputes. I can multitask but not with my eyes elsewhere.  _

“I’d suggest taking a peek.” There was a pause. She felt… nothing at all, but a subtle shift in the presence in her head told her he’d taken a look through her eyes. 

_ The Tenth is breathtaking, above all the noise and bustle.  _

“I’ve always thought so.” She slid down the tiles, hanging from the edge of the roof and dropping from perch to perch until she was at street level. 

_ It might be wise to keep my presence to yourself,  _ Jace said as she hit the cobblestones. 

_ Really? I thought you trusted Ral.  _

_ To examine a strange gadget, yes. But he did proceed to try to steal it. It never hurts to have a trump card in any case.  _ He had a point. She doubted Ral was going to let her die for his own gain but a casual double cross definitely wasn’t off the cards.  _ This next case needs my full attention. Good luck on the search.  _ With that, her invisible companion vanished, the presence in her head suddenly gone. She was quite sure that if he didn’t want her to know he was there, she’d never have a clue. If every day telepaths were combing the city for masters of varying morals, it must have happened to her multiple times without her feeling a thing. Jace announcing his presence in her mind seemed the magical version of knocking on someone’s office door before entering instead of picking the lock. 

She hurried across the plaza toward the two League members. Much of Ravnica was constantly being destroyed, rebuilt and built upon but the plazas were some of the older surviving areas, trade and life springing up around them as they became city hubs. East was full of government officials and diplomatically inclined people and businesses. She’d run hundreds of jobs that started or led here, dropping off discrete messages between people who were almost neighbours sometimes, but couldn’t possibly be seen together. 

Marija and Ral were facing opposite directions with stormy expressions when she reached them. She paused, confused. Had they been debating some odd Izzet business and disagreed? That didn’t warrant such an extreme reaction, surely, but she didn’t know either of them well enough to draw a conclusion. 

“Um…?” she said, confidently. 

Marija spun on her heel, eyes flashing. “How can you even  _ think _ that?” she snapped at Ral. 

“I thought I explained myself perfectly clearly,” he said archly, still looking in the opposite direction. “It was just a theory, anyway. Based on the current facts. You had access to my lab, knowledge of the stone, and a good relationship with Krenz.”

Marija noticed Pavla standing there staring and jabbed a finger at Ral. “He’s accusing me of being the mastermind behind this!”

The courier felt her jaw drop. “Why?” 

“All I said is that you had the means to be the person who could get Krenz to steal the power source. You’re the one who took offence.” Ral leaned on the back of a bench, arms folded. “All I stated were facts.”

“I can do that too, you know. If I fit the bill then so do you.” Marija started ticking points off on her fingers. “Knowledge of the item. Trusted colleague of Krenz. Full access to your lab and your routine. And,” she added triumphantly, “unlike  _ me _ you have a motive.”

“And what’s that, then,  _ Assistant Researcher Novic.” _ They were so close now Pavla thought they might butt heads. 

“ _ This way,  _ you could pretend the stone was stolen, throw the Guildpact off the scent and write it off as missing, then use it yourself as much as you liked. You know he wanted to lock it away. This is the perfect way to regain it for yourself.”

“A pretty convoluted way to do that when I can just tell him to mind his own business.”

“Not any less convoluted than your theory that I worked for you this entire time waiting for an opening to steal something I never knew existed before you dragged Pavla to your lab so she could help you beat Jace to that rock.”

Electricity sparked around Ral’s fingertips. Pavla gulped. If they didn’t calm down soon, someone was likely to call a lawkeeping guild on them to keep the peace. Jace was definitely not around too - there was no way he’d have witnessed this through her eyes and not said anything by now. Bothering him for an Izzet spat seemed a little pathetic. She gathered her courage and hoped she wouldn’t get fried, then stepped right next to them. 

“Hello friends,” she said cheerily. “People are staring at you.” They jerked out of their glaring match, all eyes on her. “You,” she said to Ral, “are overtired. You’ve got bags under your eyes bigger than any I’ve carried across this city. Stop taking it out on Marija and go home to rest.” He opened his mouth to argue and she held up a finger. “Nuh uh. Don’t you have someone worrying about you? What would they think, seeing you like this?” Perhaps that was pushing it a bit too far. Talking down to a high ranking Izzet Researcher was not generally what anyone would call a good idea, and there was every chance that Ral considered his lab home. But his expression seemed to change to a thoughtful one, and he stepped back. 

“Perhaps,” he said, “I’d be more effective on this search with a little more rest.”

“Exactly,” she said, remembering something he’d said to her earlier on. “You’re no use to us like…” she gestured at him, “this.” He quirked an eyebrow at her. In her head, she wondered if that was her ticket to a freak lightning related death, but she tried to hold her expression firm.

“I’m going,” he said, turning his back on them. “Not because you suggested it though. I have other obligations.”

“I’m sure you do,” she lied. He gave her a sidelong glance, then briskly walked off out of the square. Pavla watched him go and frowned.

“So Ral lives off near Whitestone? Funny place for an Izzet researcher.”

“Nope,” Marija stepped up next to her, “He always walks home odd ways to keep anyone from following him.”

“Did you?”

“Follow him? Nah. I just asked him which way he walked once and got told it was none of my business - that’s when I noticed he left Nivix in different directions each time.” The guildmage sat down on the bench and sighed. “He’s a funny one, but I can’t blame him for wanting to keep his work and personal life separate. Especially at his level.” She put her head in her hands. “I can’t believe I accused him of his own conspiracy.”

“Sounded well deserved,” Pavla said, perching next to her.

“Yes...no...ugh.” Marija fiddled with a mizzium device strapped to her wrist. It was similar enough to Ral’s gauntlet in that it wrapped all the way around and sat on her arm like an odd looking vambrace, but it was smaller and lighter, pulsing with a blue glow from multiple power sources. “A defuser is supposed to stay level headed regardless of the situation.” Pavla thought of Berrim stepping forward, unruffled, and putting himself between her and that ball of lightning death. It seemed he did have the makings of a defuser, after all. “I shouldn’t have let my emotions get the better of me.” Marija said glumly. “I love my job. The bossman can be strict and pushes us all to work harder than anyone else I’ve had as my supervisor, but it’s what I need - it makes me better at my work. I should have just recognised that he was tired and snappish, but instead I rose to the bait. What if I get fired?” 

Frankly, thought Pavla, it had been obvious that Ral was tired, in that he’d looked about 10 years older than when she first met him. But she wasn’t about to point this out. Ral has obviously said exactly the wrong thing to get Marija angry - she wasn’t about to accidentally do the same thing. “What if we find Krenz before he gets back?” she said brightly. “Can’t fire anyone then, can he?” 

Marija gave this some silent thought. “I guess so,” she said finally. She fished in a pocket and pulled out the map device, hitting a button on the side to project a miniature version of Jace’s map of the Tenth. “We have a lot of ground to cover, though.” 

Pavla produced her twin device, flicking it on after Marija pointed out the controls. “How are we doing this then?”

“These are all linked back to the main map in the Guildpact’s Sanctum.” Now she was focusing on the explanation, the guildmage seemed less flustered by her argument. She tapped one of the red buildings and it turned green. Pavla’s map updated in an instant to reflect the change. “See. We can mark the places we’ve checked so we don’t duplicate our work.” She gave the map a thoughtful look. “Shame we can’t borrow The Guildpact’s magic to communicate over the city but he said it was a bit much for him to be doing while focusing elsewhere.” She looked at Pavla, eyes bright. “His magic is fascinating. I’ve never known a telepath - it’s not really an Izzet kind of skill, and most people would keep it quiet. Do you think if I kept asking he’d eventually let me study some of his spells?”

Pavla gave this a moments thought then settled on the honest answer. “No, probably not.”

“I’ll keep trying!” Marija said to her map, glossing over the reply. It was sweet that she was so dedicated, even if she was doomed from the start in this line of research. 

“So where do we start? Earlier on Jace suggested that you guys search the Izzet buildings and I cover the larger areas with little workshops.” Pavla squinted at the map. “Seems sensible.”

“Yeah, we’d cover more area if we split up.” Marija said, and pulled a sad face. “Shame, because it would have been fun to investigate together. You’re definitely faster than me though,” she added, looking meaningfully down at the mizzium strapped to Pavla’s boots. 

“I am even without these,” Pavla retorted cheekily, and grinned at the other girl rolling her eyes. “Ral said most apprentices try to make boots like this when they start off. Did you never do it?”

Marija looked embarrassed. “Well, yeah, I did. But then I went face first into a wall and never used them again. Still have a scar hidden on my scalp somewhere.” Pavla was unsure if she should offer sympathy or laugh. She settled on a straight face. It seemed the safe option. 

“Oh,” she said. 

Marija grinned at her. “Needless to say I’m not enthusiastic about aerial acrobatics since then.”

“Understandable,” Pavla stood up and gave the map a final glance. “I guess the sooner we get going the better. Meet you here again later on? What about when the clocks are striking four? That gives us time to have a good search.”

“Sure,” Marija sighed. “Hopefully we can find Krenz and stop Ral firing me. Promise me, though,” She grabbed Pavla’s sleeve, “If you find anything weird or dangerous, don’t go near it. Wait for me - I can disarm just about anything.”

“Promise!” Marija gave her a slightly doubting look, then let her go, heading westwards towards Nivix. Pavla watched her leave, then ran to the east edge of the square. As soon as she was amongst the alleyways she tapped the power in her boots and shot up to rooftop level.

Navigating the city was a breeze - it was a nice day, cloudy but without rain, and she soared from one location to the next with ease, dropping to ground level to check each building noted on the map. Some were empty now, a little clutter left behind, one burned out completely with only shards of its roof left, and the rest had small teams or solo researchers, busy with their work. There were a few goblins scattered among the staff, but none so far were Krenz. He’d been a grumpy little thing but she hoped they’d find him before anything bad could happen to him. Some people were rather cutthroat in their quest for power. That said, she thought as she ran across the top of a carnarium - deathly quiet in the morning after the night before - perhaps Ral finding him after he’d stolen the gem was potentially life threatening. The Guildmage had been extremely peeved, and he certainly had access to the level of power that could kill or maim. She paused for thought, leaning against a tower. Maybe it was best that she and Marija found him first. Then at least they could get the truth out of him before Ral turned him into a smoking crater. 

Pavla dropped down to the cobblestones near some surprised Selesnya guild members and found herself on Empty Cup Row. Perhaps she was assuming the worst. Ral had never come across as an actual murderer. It was just that when she’d last seen him he’d been sleep deprived and betrayed, which wasn’t something she’d wish on anyone. She glanced up at the building that housed his hidden workshop, and hoped that he’d gone home to an actual bed rather than crashed in a lab on a sad old mattress. 

There was a clattering sound further down the road, and she hurried down towards the noise of people working, slightly smug that she’d suggested checking this street. She’d been right that at least one other person was using it - maybe the same one whose spell Ral had countered back in the lab. 

As she neared the building the noise was coming from she suddenly felt a familiar slickness in the air, that same sense of  _ wrongness _ and the world started to blur. The last thing she thought before it went white was that perhaps… she should have brought Marija along for this one. 


	9. Second Chances

_ Pavla? Is everything alright? You stopped.  _ She blinked. The sky overhead was beautiful, light streaming through the clouds across the plaza. Down below she could see Marija and Ral, discussing something across the other side of the square. She blinked again. This seemed familiar. 

“Just… lost in thought I suppose,” she said. “Nice sky up here.”

_ Mind if I look? _

“Go right ahead.” She felt...something. A tingle behind her eyes. 

_ The Tenth is breathtaking, above all the noise and bustle.  _

“I think so too,” she dropped down to ground level down a passageway, and headed out across the square. The debate between the two League members seemed to be getting heated. 

_ It may be wise to keep my presence to yourself,  _ he said as she crossed the plaza.

_ Never hurts to have a trump card, huh.  _ This was all definitely familiar. It was as though her brain was telling her just what might happen next every step she took. 

_ Exactly my thoughts. I have to focus on this next case. Good luck, Pavla.  _

“Right…” She arrived on the scene just as Marija and Ral turned their backs on each other. 

“He’s accusing me of being the mastermind behind this!” Marija said, outraged. Pavla sighed. 

“Well,” she said, “that’s dumb. Any reasons he can come up with that it’s you would also apply to him.”

Marija stared at her for a second then nodded furiously. “That’s what I was going to say!”

“What?” Ral snapped. Pavla groaned inwardly. Dealing with grumpy sleep-deprived mages once was enough.

“You look awful,” she said to him. “You haven’t slept enough. Go get some rest.” It didn’t seem to work. He just narrowed his eyes and drew himself up to respond. Then she remembered the words that seemed to have an effect the first time. “Don’t you have someone worrying about you? What would they think, seeing you like this?” 

He looked almost… deflated for a second then shot her a sharp look. “I  _ should _ be delegating this. I don’t have time to just...search an entire city. That’s what lackeys are for. I’m off.” He jabbed a finger at them both. “But you two better find my rogue assistant.” They watched him leave the plaza, walking toward Whitestone. 

“Is he incapable of admitting defeat?” Pavla muttered. 

“Yes.” She jumped as Marija popped up next to her. “But thanks for sorting that out…” she looked sheepish. “A defuser is supposed to be level headed in every situation. I failed at my job.”

“Professional lackeys are allowed hot headed moments, though.” Pavla gave her situation some thought. “Marija. I think something weird has happened to me.”

“When you were helping the Guildpact?”

She paused. As mad as it sounded in her head, she may as well be honest. “No… later on today.”  _ That _ made the other girl pause. She turned and gave Pavla a considering look. “I think I walked into some time magic...again. One minute the world is all slippery, and the next, I’m back here, on top of the embassy over there.”

“Do you think it pertains to our investigation?”

“Honestly, I couldn’t tell you. I didn’t get close enough to see what it was. Maybe I was just unlucky.” She told her the full story, Marija stopping her for extra details every now and again. 

The Guildmage sat down on a bench. She looked deeply thoughtful, that intense concentration Pavla had first noticed back in Ral’s lab. “Well,” she said, “if someone has nabbed that stone knowing how powerful it is, time magic is one of the areas that does require a lot of mana. We should investigate anything weird as a matter of course.” She laughed. “I’m aware that with my guild, that could mean investigating almost everything. But time magic outside a controlled lab environment that catches a citizen who is in the area  _ is _ unusual. Empty Cup Row is usually used for more explosive experiments than reality bending ones. They’re hard to contain or predict. Bad for our reputation if someone’s grandfather goes outside for a news sheet and comes back as a toddler.” She stood and frowned. “I suppose we’d better go check it out. Best to approach it from another direction, in case the time displacement effect was only in one area.”

“And if it zaps us both back here again?”

Marija grinned a mad scientist grin. “Then we get a new plan!” She paused. “We should probably also check the Guild records to see if anyone has a lab registered there first. I suppose that’s the sensible thing to do.” Considering that was a good idea, she sounded rather crestfallen at the idea of it. “Discovery is much more fun in the field, but let’s head to the Izzet record hall first. If it’s a registered experiment we’ll have more idea of who we’re dealing with.”

“And if it’s not?” Pavla asked as they set off towards the huge tower off to the west. 

“Then it’s unauthorised and quite possibly extremely dangerous.” There was a gleam in her eye. “That would be exciting.”

***

Travelling with Marija meant walking again but Pavla didn’t mind. Nivix wasn’t so far they’d have to pay for transport, and walking alone again with the guildmage was, she’d quietly admit to herself, rather nice. They crossed busy roads full of carts and merchants and slipped through narrow side streets, pausing at a small roadside food stall to pick up lunch. Pavla bit into her sandwich and looked upwards. There were fairies buzzing above their heads, carrying their own messages back and forward on trails of magic, and beyond that a sky dotted with white clouds up past the city spires. It was a good day to wander the city, and she wished they didn’t have a particular mission to complete. There were plenty of hidden places around here that she’d discovered over the years, and taking Marija to find them would have been a lot of fun. 

Only a few streets over was a beautiful fountain carved into a wall, hidden in the shadows out of a normal person’s walking route, and if you headed the other direction, you’d reach a lesser known food market which did excellent steak sandwiches. She ran scenarios through her head where she was free to take Marija on a tour, then pushed it from her mind. If they didn’t find the stone… well, she wasn’t sure what would happen. It would depend who had it, and how dangerous they were. Jace and Ral both seemed to be treating this very seriously, so daydreaming was a bad idea.

“Pavla?” Marija waved a hand in front of her nose, and she realised that she’d let her mind wander, thinking about how bad an idea it was to do so. “We’re close - I’ll run in and out as quickly as I can! Stay right here.” She hurried off down a street and into an old building emblazoned with the Izzet Guild crest. Symbols for each guild changed over the decades as design sensibilities evolved, but the Izzet reinvented theirs almost every year. This building was covered in a huge variety of designs, each recognisable as Izzet due to the fact they featured Niv Mizzet’s draconic countenance front and centre, but you could almost trace the evolution of it across each archway and plaque.

Marija burst out of the doors and sprinted back to her side. “So, there’s definitely no time experiments registered in the area,” she said. “But there was a researcher who packed up at the Laboratory of Continuism not that long ago in a real cloud of drama. Perhaps he’s moved sites? Marko Vorin, he’s a well respected authority on time reversal.”

“Sounds… fitting. What kind of drama? Did he want to run experiments that zap couriers back in time?”

Marija flapped a hand dismissively. “That wouldn’t be very dramatic,” she paused when Pavla raised an eyebrow, “no offense intended, but that’s very normal for my Guild. No, it was something just after the Implicit Maze project completed. He wasn’t happy with the Guild - who knows, maybe he wanted to run the Maze?” she frowned. “Bit old to be doing that though. Anyway, the whole new Living Guildpact thing did shake a lot of people up. I wouldn’t be surprised if any other guilds had a similar situation with people leaving or moving around. We got used to doing whatever we wanted. Maybe that’s what he’s trying to do on Empty Cup Row.”

“Better take a look, to be sure,” Pavla said, anticipating their next move. 

Marija grinned at her. “Exactly.”

***

After some discussion they decided to enter the area in the opposite direction to the one Pavla had first taken. “You saw nothing of note,” Marija had said, “So it makes sense to try a different approach. This way if anything happens, maybe we’ll have a chance of deducing the source.” It did feel somewhat like they were part of a living experiment when you put it like that, but when she outlined the plan, all Izzet passion tempered with deduction and logic, it was hard not to go along with it.

Marija linked their arms and gave Pavla’s a squeeze. “We stick together,” she said. “Just in case.” They walked slowly down the street, the hubbub of the city all around them in the distance. The street was as Pavla remembered - tumbledown and quiet. No one came here unless they had reason. There were a few Selesyna mages far in the distance - Pavla remembered passing them before, a vague recollection that she’d seen them as she ran toward the noise further down the road. Woodshapers and druids, trying to reclaim the area in the name of nature. 

“We’re close,” she said. There was a flicker of activity near one of the buildings, and a small figure emerged, dropping a heavy item outside with a clanging noise that stung her memory.

“That’s...Krenz!” Marija jerked towards the goblin, dragging Pavla along with her. “I’d recognise his busy little butt anywhere. But what is he…” The air grew slick. She threw a hand up, countermagic sparking against the unseen force that was smothering the area. 

Pavla gulped a lungful of air, clinging to the guildmages arm. “This is what sent me back!”

Marija gritted her teeth, motes of magic swirling around them, their light dying as the spell pushed down. “It’s too much,” she gasped, dropping to her knees, dragging Pavla with her. “I can’t hold it. The sheer power of this spell-”

***

The Chamber of the Guildpact was heaving with people of all shapes, sizes and races. Pavla stumbled against the wall, taking a long deep gulp of air that had been breathed by far too many people. A group of Orzhov nearby shuffled circumspectly away from her. She looked down. She was dressed exactly as she had been on Empty Cup Row, her knives and boots all kitted up and ready to go. 

“Kozav,” Lavinia barked. “You were supposed to be helping out, not moongazing in a corner.”

“Sorry,” she shouted, stumbling back out towards the exit. “Something came up!”

The streets outside were crowded, so she made her way to the rooftops as quickly as she could, thoughts calming as her boots hit the tiles. She’d tried again and failed. But now she was further back, which made no sense to her, as a person who didn’t understand a thing about time magic. Hopefully Marija could explain things - surely she’d had the same experience, and if Pavla’s guess served her correctly, she must be arriving in the plaza right about now. She reached the square from the side she’d met the two Izzet mages last time and dropped down exactly where they’d been standing.

“You know,” Ral was saying, “I’ve been thinking-”

“Bad idea,” Pavla interjected, earning herself a sharp look. “You look really tired Ral. You should get some rest and leave us to investigate.” He opened his mouth to argue. “Don’t you have someone at home worrying about you?” It shut again. He narrowed his eyes, but stepped backwards.

“It’s true I skipped a night’s sleep,” he said. “And if you’re volunteering to be an unpaid assistant, who am I to argue?” He shot her a sly smile, and before she could renegotiate any pay, hurried off in the same direction as before.

Pavla spun around to face a confused looking Marija, “You remember, right?”

“Remember what?”

The courier sighed and sank down onto the bench. “You’d know what I meant if you did. Why me and not you?” She gave Marija the short version of events, the guildmage’s eyes widening in fascination as soon as they hit time travel, then her expression dropping to that familiar thoughtfulness as she reached the end, where Marija hadn’t been able to hold her own against the spell.

“Something that powerful… it must have used the stone. There aren’t many spells I can’t handle, but something designed to be district wide, or world wide even… that would be too much. And for an unlicensed experiment to have access to that much energy…” she trailed off, mind working. “I think we got as far as we can. You have to tell His Sparkiness.”

“What? He’s sleep deprived and grumpy, and I just told him to go home!” She could imagine the conversation already, and it didn’t go well.

“All the best Izzet work is collaboration. We need his input. And Jace, perhaps.” she mused. “The more the merrier.”

“ _ He’s _ definitely too busy. I suppose I can try to catch up with Ral. But if there’s a freak lightning storm, I might be the one in it.” she muttered. Marija laughed. 

“Believe me, he’ll be interested in this. Go!” she pushed Pavla away from the bench, “time is of the essence, in every respect.”

***

One of the past versions of Marija had told her that Ral tended to walk odd ways home to throw people off his trail, and this was definitely true. She jumped from street to street looking for him, finally catching up as he walked west, instead of east where he’d started. She frowned down at him as she scurried across the rooftops, following him across the neighbourhood, trying to think of a way to broach the whole subject.

He suddenly stopped in his tracks down a quiet side street, then spoke loudly skywards. “I know you’re there, courier girl,” he said. “Didn’t you tell me to go home? I don’t need anything delivered there.” He raised a finger, static crackling around it. “Remember I can hit anyone I have a tracking spell on, hm?”

She sighed and dropped down to the cobblestones. “I wasn’t stalking you. I was just...trying to work out how to tell you something.”

He rubbed his eyes, the dark circles around them deepened in the shadows of the side street. He really did look tired. She felt bad holding him up like this, if she was honest, but without extra help she’d probably just get zapped back in time again. “I found Krenz,” she said, starting with the thing he’d pay the most attention to.

Suddenly he was all ears. “What? Where?”

“In about four hours time.”

He frowned. “...Go on.” 

She gave him the fastest possible explanation she could, skipping anything he found unnecessary, these being marked by impatient hand gestures whenever she added extra detail. “...And now I’m back here again, but Marija doesn’t remember, and she thinks we need you to help solve this.”

He sighed deeply. “I definitely need some rest before I can process any of this properly.” He looked down at her, eyes narrowed, making a decision. “I suppose there’s not really any way around this, if time isn’t on our side.” He pulled out a battered notebook, wrote something on it and ripping out the page, stuck it into her hand. “Come here in about two hours. Do not share this information with anyone, do not bring anyone else, and do not show up early. If you give this address to anybody at all, I’ll turn you into a small crater with a comedic pair of smoking boots in the centre. Are we clear?”

“Crystal,” she said, gripping the paper tightly. He turned and headed back down the street, flapping a hand at her in dismissal. She very carefully peeked at the folded paper in her hands. It was an address in the Dogsrun neighbourhood, a quiet little set of streets she rarely had any need to visit. An odd place for a Guildmage of his stature, that was for sure.

She was half tempted to head back to Empty Cup Row to see if there were any extra clues she could pick up - but what if the waves of time magic were happening frequently and zapped her back again? She pulled out her gemstone pendant and looked at it. Should she tell Jace? Would that help or confuse things? It seemed most sensible for now to follow Ral’s lead, since this seemed to be an Izzet kind of problem. She sighed, wandered across a few streets to a quiet spot with a cafe, ordered something to drink and took a seat in the corner, pulling out her book to pass the time. She followed Ivan across fictional Ravnica, as he tracked down the copycat killer to a Rakdos Carnarium, only to discover that it was the twin of the man he’d locked up. She dropped the book a second and took a sip of her half forgotten coffee. Twins? She wasn’t sure if she was impressed or a little betrayed at how far fetched it was. 

She paused. Maybe Jace and Berrim were twins? If she asked one of them, they’d probably just shrug and say something along the lines of not being able to say if they had a secret twin. It was far too unlikely - cousins was a much better theory. It was a little irksome that she’d probably never find out the truth.

Pavla pulled out her watch and mentally calculated how long it would take to get to Dogsrun. It was probably time to shift herself in that direction. Though she’d been told not to be early, she wasn’t sure if she’d be penalised for not being on time. Since she’d met him Ral had flipped between grumpy and enthusiastic - which reaction she would get after he’d been allowed a two hour nap was a mystery. She’d bet that he could survive on low sleep though. Most Izzet League members forgot that they needed rest. 

Stuffing the book back in her bag she headed back to the streets, sticking to the ground and wending her way through backalleys and quiet roads towards the address he’d given her. She wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but when she arrived, there was just a row of apartments as nondescript as any in the area. She squinted down at the paper in her hand. Raindrops were spattering the surface but the writing was clear - this was the place. She sidled up to the door and knocked. 

A young man with tousled brown hair and glasses perched on his nose opened the door and gave her a curious look. “Hello?” He said, removing the spectacles to get a better look at her. 

Thrown by the absolute lack of any Izzet presence she gaped at him for a second then checked her paper against the apartment number. She hadn’t misread it- this was definitely the right address. “Sorry!” she said. “I think I’ve been given the wrong information. Perhaps on purpose,” she added under her breath. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he did this to get a longer nap.”

At that, the man gave her an odd look and held out a hand. “Can I see that?” She diligently handed over the paper, and looked him up and down as he examined it. No mizzium in sight, just an average Ravnican human. He was dressed casually so it was impossible to tell if he had any guild affiliations but the Izzet rarely kept away from their inventions. “Ah,” he said, handing it back to her. “I think you’d better come in.”

“What?” The rain was starting to come down harder, hitting the top of her head with a resounding  _ thunk _ and bouncing on the steps outside. 

“He’s still asleep, I’m afraid, but you really should come in out of the rain.” He gestured inside the apartment and she gratefully shuffled through the door. 

“So… Ral did give me the right address? He wasn’t messing with me?” She asked, following him into a warm living area, comfortably furnished and most importantly, rain proof. 

“You’re at the right place. Or, at least, I’m guessing so. I only just got here myself.” The man paused and gave her a sidelong look. “Is this Guild business?” There was something to that question, an edge to it seeking a certain reply. She wasn’t sure what the right one was so she opted for honesty. 

“Nope. Just me running errands for him.” At that he seemed to relax. 

“I see. Would you like a drink to warm you up while you wait?” He gestured at the cupboards in the kitchen, then paused. “Oh, I’m Tomik. I suppose I should have started with that.”

“Nice to meet you! Pavla,” she stuck out a hand and he shook it. “Courier extraordinaire. If you ever have a message you need delivered, I’m your girl.” 

That prompted an amused smile. “I deliver my own, but I appreciate the sales pitch effort nonetheless.” He opened the cupboards. “Tea? Coffee? Miscellaneous jar of herbs?”

Pavla decided at that point that she liked this Tomik. “Tea would be nice.”

“Any preference on flavour? I’ve got about ten kinds.” He gestured up at a line of tins. “Black, green, red, mushroom flower, golgari caravan tea, honey smoked traditional  _ caj _ a…”

She hadn’t known there was more than one kind. “Um. Whatever you think is the best one.”

“Caravan tea it is.” She watched him potter around the kitchen, assembling mugs, heating water and carefully putting the tea in a pot to brew. Pavla didn’t know a lot about teapots but it looked like a high quality one, lovingly painted, with gold leaf swirled across the patterns. Clearly this was a man who cared about doing tea well. 

He paused, then put the rest of the water into a cafetière with some very potent smelling coffee, leaving that to stand gently steaming on the worktop, then moved to a small, well made dining table, gesturing for her to sit. “I’m sure he’ll be down soon,” he said, pouring a rich brown tea into the mug in front of her. Pavla lifted it to her nose. It was aromatic and smoky, unlike anything she’d come across before. The mere smell soothed any worries she had about the whole time travel situation and invading what seemed to be Ral’s private space. She looked through the steam at Tomik, who was pouring his own cup. He seemed like Ral’s opposite, a calm presence instead of a frenetic one. 

She wrapped her hands around the cup, enjoying the warmth. “So, um…” Not really one for smalltalk, she wasn’t sure what to say. She hadn’t expected another person to be at Ral’s secret address. If anything, she’d expected another lab.

“Errands,” Tomik added, helping her out. “Deliveries? Or any errand going?”

She snorted, “I kind of got drafted into doing the latter. Usually just deliveries, though. Ral talked me into doing more.” 

He gave her mizzium bedecked gloves an amused look over his tea. “Talked, or bribed with gadgetry?”

She rubbed the straps around her hands and shot him a cheeky smile. “Bit of both.” They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes drinking tea. It was hot and sweet, with the smokiness she’d noticed in the steam shot through each sip. She wondered where you procured fancy teas in the Tenth - there must be some very specialist shops she’d run past in the better off parts of town. If Tomik was buying special teas, was that on Ral’s Guildmage salary or did he have an interesting job of his own? Pavla set her cup down carefully, curiosity getting the better of her. “You said you do your own deliveries,” she said. “What do you do?”

There was a sudden thumping noise from across the apartment that sounded like something large and grumpy had broken into the building. Pavla jumped, but Tomik merely smiled. “I think he’s awake,” he said brightly, leaning back to take hold of the still hot cafetiere and pouring a mug of coffee.

Ral appeared around a doorway, disheveled and sleepy, with his normally swept back hair going in entirely the wrong directions. The shirt he must have pulled on while still half asleep was inside out and entirely too big. He strolled over to the table and leaned heavily over it, looking straight at Pavla. “Don’t answer any personal questions,” he said sidelong to Tomik, “they’ll only lead to more.”

The other man wordlessly slid the coffee mug into his hands while Pavla attempted to make her expression both outraged and entirely innocent all at once. “I am a perfectly well behaved house guest!” she yelped. 

Ral downed the first mug in one go, then refilled it from the cafetiere and sprawled in the spare chair opposite her. “Forgive me for not entirely believing you.” He ran a hand through his hair, pushing it back into the static swept back frizz that she was used to seeing, and gave her that sly smile that she’d seen back in the Chamber that seemed to mean that they were on friendly terms, for now. He rubbed the bridge of his nose. “Give me a few minutes, then we can talk about time travel again.”

Tomik shot him a funny look, then glanced back to Pavla. “I thought this  _ wasn’t  _ Guild business?”

Ral sighed. “It’s not. Courier girl just attracts weird trouble like a... “ he waved a hand around, looking for the right comparison. “Weird trouble magnet. I need more coffee.” He drained half of the next mugful and sighed. “And she has terrible timing.”

“Hey! I didn’t  _ ask _ to be punted back a few hours each time I walk down that street.” Pavla glared at him over the rim of her cup. Marija had recommended talking to Ral, but at this point she wasn’t sure if he would actually fix the situation, or just spend the next hour taking shots at her. 

Tomik watched them both in amusement for a moment, Pavla sullenly drinking tea and Ral staring into his coffee as it that would help him wake up faster. He stood, giving him a tender pat on the shoulder, and went to root through a sturdy leather pack that sat near the door. “I didn’t think time travel was your thing at all,” he said from across the room. “Aha.” His search produced a small paper bag and he slid back into the seat next to Ral, pushing the bag in front of him. Pavla immediately recognised custard tarts. 

“It’s not,” Ral sighed. “Unless it gets in my way.” He plucked a pastry from the bag and ate it in two swift bites, watching Pavla across the table as she studiously tried to be well behaved. “Usually the idiots playing with time are pretty harmless.” He bit into a second tart, spilling flakes of pastry across the table and gave Tomik a nudge. “You know, courier girl loves these too. Look at her trying so hard not to ask for one. I think she’s serious about needing help.”

“Are you being awful?” Tomik reached out and swivelled the bag toward Pavla. “Help yourself.”

“Not the apple one!” Ral grabbed it from the pile - identified only by the cinnamon dusting the top. “Spill the whole story, Pavla. I think I’ve got enough energy to deal with this nonsense now.”

It was odd and a little reassuring to hear him actually use her name for once. Perhaps she  _ was _ being taken seriously. She walked him through her multiple days from the moment they’d parted ways in the Chamber up until now, stopping and starting as Ral demanded extra detail or time to think. 

Tomik refilled her tea cup in the silence that followed. “I know I’m missing some of the background information here,” he said. “But surely it’s not a normal occurance to be catapulted back a few hours twice in a row?” Ral didn’t reply, staring up at the ceiling, processing everything. 

Pavla pulled a face. “Not when you’re just passing by, minding your own business,” she said, taking another pastry. 

Ral sat back up straight, looking her sharply in the eye. “There are a lot of questions here,” he said, “and it might take a while to sort them out. Do you think that wave of time magic goes across the entire district?” Her mouth dropped open. She snapped it closed and shrugged. “It’s one of the more worrisome ones,” he said thoughtfully. “I’m going to get some paper.”

Tomik pushed his chair back, “Well,” he said, “I don’t think I’m much help here so I’ll make myself useful and go and grab dinner.”

Ral paused. “Wait, wasn’t it my turn?”

“No,” Tomik shot him a wry look. “That was yesterday. When you didn’t come home.” Pavla watched the Izzet guildmage freeze, then pull an expression she’d never thought she’d see on him - apologetic.

“Things…” he trailed off. “...happened?” He sighed, deflated. “Damn it. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t you worry, I’ll ensure you make up for it.” Something passed between them, a flicker of silent communication that Pavla wasn’t privy to. “So, any requests?”

Ral’s expression switched to a winsome smile. “Curry?”

“Guest’s choice - it’s only polite.” They both looked at Pavla.

“Uh… curry is good with me.” It had been a while since she’d had it, since her Ma wasn’t a fan. On a rainy day like this, it was a welcome way to warm up.

“The real question is,” Tomik said, pulling on a coat, “where do you sit on the spice scale? Ral is at,” he gestured above his head, “insanity level.” She stifled a laugh. “And I like to be able to taste things the next day.”

“I’m with you,” she replied, prompting a disdainful head shake from Ral.

“Regardless of who you ask, it doesn’t change the fact that my choice is the right one,” he said flippantly.

“It’s bad manners to set a guest on fire at dinner.”

“Tell that to the Rakdos. They call it dinner and a show.” 

Pavla watched them banter back and forth and couldn’t help but feel warm inside. She’d only really seen Ral in work mode, but here he seemed entirely relaxed, smiling easily and often as they exchanged Rakdos jokes that should never be repeated near any member of the Guild. Eventually Tomik shook his head in mock resignation and headed to the door.

“Hold on,” Ral sprang from his chair to catch him up, and they both peered out the front door, rain still hammering down outside. Ral brushed a hand across Tomik’s shoulder and something  _ shifted  _ in the air above them. “Perks of dating a storm mage,” he said so quietly that Pavla strained to hear. Tomik smiled, pushed him away playfully and headed out into the street, rain bouncing off an invisible shield over his head.

Ral lingered in the doorway a moment, then turned back to Pavla, who was watching him, trying to hide her smile behind her tea cup. He sat heavily down at the table, spreading paper across the wood then gave her a sharp look. “ _ No. _ ”

“Tomik seems nice,” she said, cheerfully ignoring him.

He paused and gave her a stern wag of the finger. “You are  _ not _ friends.”

“Aw, come on,” Pavla sighed and slid down her seat. “I like him. And the two of you really seem to suit each other.”

Ral ignored her, scribbling away on his notes.

“Why can’t we be friends?” She leaned down to peer up at him. “You know you can’t  _ ban  _ people from being friends.”

He sighed. “Look,” he said. “This is work,” One custard tart was placed down one end of the table. “And this is personal.” Another one, down the other end. “The two do not mix. And you are considered work. In every sense.”

“Alright, fine…” She ignored the jibe, folded her arms and watched him squint down at scribbled formulas, scratching his head with the end of the pencil. “What if I just came across him in my day to day job?”

“Well, I doubt he’d recognise you,” he said thoughtfully, “Since it seems increasingly likely that you’ll get hit by another time wave…” Her mouth dropped open. Ral spun the pencil in his hand. “But why do  _ you _ remember, when no one else does? That is the question.” He quirked an eyebrow. “Did you forget to tell me something?”

“Huh?” Pavla was still blindsided by the fact that she might end up back in time again.

“Did you pick up another kind of protection along the way? Another charm, or something like the mizzium hair clip?”

She gave this some thought. The start of the day seemed so long ago now. “I don’t think…” Ral watched expectantly as her eyes widened, a memory surfacing. “Jace! He gave me a protective spell! He said it would function like the clip, but that he could still talk to me.”

“Ugh, damn it, Beleren. Of course it was him.” He leaned in, “You  _ do _ have a way to contact him, don’t you?”

“Uh…” It was hard to lie to him when he was staring at her so intently, in full investigation mode. Ral rolled his eyes.

“Well, you’re not denying it. We need to confirm with him that it’s the cause. Come on, courier girl.” He held out an impatient hand. She sighed and pulled the pendant out from under her shirt, cord still around her neck. It glowed softly in the afternoon light. He gave it an appraising look. “Simple but efficient little communication spell. Right…” He brushed a finger across it, and suddenly Pavla felt that mental connection open up.

_ I’m a little busy Pavla,  _ came Jace’s voice.  _ Is it important? _

_ _ _ Of course it’s bloody important, _ Ral interjected before she could even form a reply. 

_ Ral? _

_ _ _ Beleren, what kind of protective spell did you give her when she left this morning? _

_ _ _ I didn’t. Pavla ran off before I could do so. Is she alright? _

_ _ _ I’m fine! _

Ral gave her a look reserved for timewasters.  _ If you were to, hypothetically, give her a protective enchantment to keep other telepaths out of her head, would it also function to prevent her memories being altered by a blanket spell?  _

_ That’s incredibly specific. Is this really important? Someone from your guild has come to complain about the Azorius obstructing their bomb testing and they’re very loud. I think they’ve brought one along to demonstrate.  _

_ Would I be talking to you if it wasn’t? _

There was a long pause.

_ Yes, I suppose it would work that way. Not that I’ve tested it. _ Ral dropped the pendant and started drawing something out across his papers. Pavla felt a wave of puzzlement come across the link.  _ Is that it?  _

_ I think so,  _ she replied, watching Ral’s scribbling become more frantic, spiralling outward across pages.

_ Are you definitely alright? _ It was nice to know she has a concerned friend in him, but she wasn’t sure that the Guildpact could really help them any further right now.

_ It’s all good, Ral is on the case. I’ll let you know if anything comes out of this. _

_ _ _ Look after yourself.  _ With that, the connection severed. 

“Where would you say you were standing each instance that you were pushed backwards in time?” Ral ran a finger down a makeshift street plan of Empty Cup Row. “And where was Krenz? Be as accurate as you can.” She pointed out each spot, which prompted some more scribbling. 

The front door opened and Tomik reappeared, kicking off wet boots, but otherwise dry. “How is the time travel conundrum treating you?” he said, dropping a bundle of waxed paper packages filled with delicious smelling curry onto the kitchen counters. Ral made a noise that seemed to convey both frustration and disgust that he was having to fix this all in one grunt. “That good, eh?”

Pavla left him frowning down at his notes, leaping up from her chair to help Tomik with the food. He passed her a plate of something that smelled like it might burn through the crockery. “No awards for guessing whose this one is,” he said as she recoiled, then carried it at arms length to Ral.

She returned for her plate and gave Tomik a sidelong look. “So… do you live with Ral?”

“I’m certainly not his maid,” he said, pulling out cutlery from a small drawer. 

“I never got an answer about what you do,” she said optimistically.

He raised a dubious eyebrow. “I thought personal questions were now banned.”

“ _ They are, _ ” Ral said from across the room.

Pavla groaned. “But how am I supposed to make polite guest conversation? What about non-intrusive personal questions?”

Tomik frowned, curious. “What exactly would those be?”

“Something like…” she tapped her fingers against the counter, thinking. “Favourite jam?” A ball of scrunched up notes bounced off the back of her head.

“Courier girl, you are a menace. It was your incredible nosiness that got you into this mess in the first place, don’t forget.”

Pavla spun and fixed him with a frown. “ _ You _ encouraged me! You were all,” she struck a heroic pose, putting on a poor imitation of his voice. “‘I didn’t become the best scientist in the world by sitting on my  _ arse _ ! If you want something done, just do it!’” Next to her, Tomik suppressed a laugh.

Ral wagged the pencil at her. “There’s some definite paraphrasing going on there,” he said. “Sit down and eat your curry.”

She slumped into her chair and watched him shovel unidentifiable, searingly hot chunks of what had to be meat into his mouth, still scribbling away on a new sheet of paper. This time, it looked more like a set of instructions than some wild Izzet calculations. 

“So I can’t solve this,” he said between mouthfuls, “because I don’t have enough data. And to get the information I need, I’d have to go to Empty Cup Row myself, and probably get popped back in time with no memory, making the entire expedition pointless.” He gestured at Pavla with the end of his pencil. “But  _ you _ remember, since you’ve got a powerful protective charm wrapped around your head. We’ve only got about an hour until that wave of magic that sent you back last time is released, and for all we know it could be a test of a machine that can do something much, much more catastrophic than send a courier backwards a few hours.” He pulled the street map back into the middle of the table. They all peered down at it. “Assuming that the wave you were caught in was a test, and they were following standard League testing procedures-”

Tomik raised a fork, “Excuse me, the Izzet League have formal testing procedures? I thought you all just cranked everything up to eleven.”

Ral rolled his eyes, ignoring Tomik’s grin. “ _ Assuming _ they were following those, the reason you were sent back to different times was your distance from the machine.”

Pavla blinked down at the map. “So… you can’t stop it? Marija thought you’d know how to.”

“Not as such,” he said around a forkful of curry. She sighed and sank deeper into her chair.

“So you’re going to send her back again, aren’t you?”

She stared at Tomik, “What?”

“It’s the logical course of action - if you’ve exhausted all other possibilities and you’re running out of time - why not send your hapless courier to the time machine again to gain it back?” The two of them exchanged a grin across the table. Pavla looked from one to the other, horror slowly growing.

“What? No! I’ll have to explain things to you all over again!”

“You won’t. You’ll have everything written down, safe and sound.” He patted his notes. “It’s the only real solution I could think of. I need you to get close enough to see the machine.”

“But-”

“You’ve got about forty minutes until the time wave, courier girl. Eat up.”

She glumly shovelled curry into her mouth as quickly as she could. It was good, but the taste soured on her tongue with the knowledge that she was going to be catapulted back through time again. Ral finished off his notes, sliding them into a folder, which he carefully sealed with wax. Tomik held out a signet ring, “Perhaps having this imprinted will help you take it seriously,” he said. Ral gave a little nod and pushed it into the seal, leaving a pattern.

“If I was me,” he said, examining the package, “I think I’d read this. You just have to not look too ridiculous handing it to me, courier girl.”

“Can’t we just get Jace to enchant you too?” 

“Absolutely not. Even if I wanted to try, we’re far too low on time. Do you really think we could get to the Chamber of the Guildpact and through the crowds in less than twenty minutes? I don’t keep a teleportal at home, you know.” He tapped her on the head with the folder. “This is how I can tell that you’re Guildless. Anyone who has had to stand in that queue avoids it as much as humanly possible.”

“ _ You _ queued at the Chamber?” She couldn't picture him waiting patiently in that huge hall for a second. 

“Of course not. I used the secret entrance that I’m not supposed to know about. What kind of idiot stands in that queue?”

Tomik raised a hand. “I had to, once.”

Pavla spun around in her seat so fast she almost fell off it. “You’re in a Guild too?”

“Personal question!” She narrowly missed the pencil that whistled past her ear. Ral brandished a finger at her. “Don’t forget the rules.”

“Oh, come on!”

“Get ready to leave, courier girl. Time waits for no one.” Ral grinned. “Especially you.”

***

Half an hour later, Pavla found herself back on the abandoned street that housed the time machine, still slightly irked. The entire point of going to Ral was that he’d sort all this out for her with a powerful mix of science and magic. Instead, she was being sent into the danger zone once again. She pulled out the map he’d given her. 

“If you stand  _ here  _ when the wave hits,” he’d said, pointing at the red X on the street, “it should get you exactly where I need you.” He hadn’t bothered elaborating on when that was, in spite of her asking at least twice, hand waving it away. Her only task she’d been explicitly given was to get a look at the time machine, and stand in the right spot. 

“Next time I work with an Izzet mage,” she muttered, “I’ll make sure they like to explain things.” As disgruntled as she was by the lack of information, she was still here, so she supposed that despite his methods, Ral was someone she trusted to get things right. 

She dropped down to street level and hurried towards the building she’d seen Krenz leaving, pressing herself up against the wall, then leaning slowly around to peer into a half shuttered window. Inside was a mess of mizzium and glass, wires crawling across every surface and tubes of crackling power lining the walls. In the centre was a machine unlike any she’d ever seen - at least two or three times her height, power pulsing across every surface. And in the very heart of it was a familiar glowing stone, crowned at each end with golden filigree. She stifled a gasp. Ral had been very specific that she shouldn’t get caught or hang around for too long, but he’d also told her to get a ‘seriously good look at the thing.’ Now she was here, it was hard to tear herself away from the sight of it. 

A muffled clank snapped her out of her reverie and she spotted Krenz inside the lab, lugging a chunk of metal behind him. Once he got outside, it would trigger the clanging noise she’d heard, the same time the wave would hit. She ducked, scurrying down the road to the spot Ral had indicated, and was struck by a sudden desire to be a religious kind of person. It would have been nice to have someone to pray to at this moment. Before she could consider which religion might be most useful in the circumstances, the clang reverberated down the street, and a wash of magic swept her away. 


	10. Third Time Lucky

She was underwater, air bubbling from her mouth as it opened in shock. Pavla flailed outwards, caught her hands on the sides of a smooth metallic surface and pulled herself upright, staring down at the bath she was standing in. 

She blinked, rocking slightly, then realised where she was. The Chamber of the Guildpact, early morning after Krenz had stolen the stone. She pulled her bag from her back, shook the water out of the pockets and peered inside. The package Ral had given her seemed mostly dry, rolled up in one of his weatherproofed tubes. Pavla herself however was soaked through, since she’d been dropped into the bath fully dressed. 

She sighed heavily. He hadn’t  _ known _ she’d been in the bath around this time but she still couldn’t help but feel like he’d done this on purpose. She grimly squelched her way out of the bathroom and headed to the library, pausing to wrap a towel around her shoulders in a sad attempt to dry off. 

When she entered, the room looked exactly as she remembered. Books piled wall to wall, Jace at his desk, working through the stack of paperwork Lavinia had left him, and Ral, grouchily slumped in a chair, sparks of lightning lacing the air around him. 

“You’re  _ late, _ courier girl,” he said, then did a slight double take at the sight of her drenched clothes. She pulled the package from its tube, dropped it into his lap and fixed him with an unimpressed stare. He raised an eyebrow, then frowned down at the seal stamped into the wax. Being the budding detective she was, Pavla had taken a good look at it on her way to Empty Cup Row. It was definitely a family crest, and an old one at that, but beyond that she couldn’t identify it. She should have paid more attention when delivering messages for those well off, wonderfully boring nobles who didn’t drop her into baths. Perhaps it would have given her some clues. As it was, all it really told her was that Tomik may have picked up his tea habits living in a well off household most of his life. 

As Ral swiftly broke the seal and scanned through the first page of hurried notes, Pavla became increasingly conscious of the small puddle she was creating on the floor as the bath water pooled around her feet. “I’ll go get changed,” she jabbed a thumb back up the stairs. “Now my urgent delivery is done.”

Ral threw out a hand. “ _ Wait _ ,” he said. “It says here that you have something else that I need.”

“What?” That was unexpected. All she’d been given was the package. 

“It says that I need to ask you for the piece of paper I gave you in the street.”

She fished into a soggy pocket and drew out the sad piece of paper he’d originally given her when she’d chased him down. The address was faded now, but legible. “What, this?” He waved an impatient hand and she squelched over and gave it to him. “I don’t see why-“

Ral looked at the note, gave a satisfied nod, and electricity sparked around his fingers, incinerating it in a second. The ashes drifted down to the floor as she stared at him. “No popping round for a cup of sugar hm?” he said smugly. 

“You think a professional courier can’t remember an address?” she retorted. Ral glanced at Jace. 

“No,” the Guildpact said, without looking up from his paperwork. “I’m not the ex-directory service.”

“I’m confident you’re professional enough to forget one when required.” Ral pulled a folded note from the pile of papers. “Oh, this is for you, Beleren.” He flicked the message across the table and continued reading. Pavla supposed that meant she was dismissed. 

***

A dry change of clothes awaited her by the guest room, and by the time she returned the two of them were deep in discussion. As soon as her foot hit the bottom stair they turned in unison and stared right at her. It was a little unnerving.

“So did you get a good look at the machine?” Ral said impatiently. “It says here that doing so was impressed upon you as an integral part of the plan. So?”

“Of course. Just don’t ask me to explain it. It was… complicated.” All those tubes and wires flashed up in her mind, the stone nestled in the centre. 

“The good news is that you’re not required to do so,” Jace said. “The bad is that alternate timeline Ral decided that  _ my  _ job was to pull the image from your mind, and I doubt he consulted with you about this first.”

“Alternate timeline Ral was a genius and I can only hope to continue his legacy,” said current timeline Ral, smugly. 

Pavla took a seat and glanced at the notes strewn over the table. “Well, we need to know what the machine is like to stop it right?” They nodded. She looked up at Jace. “I trust you. Pull as much information as you need.”

“Alright. Mind if I take the entire past day?”

She shrugged. There was a flash of blue light across her vision and she was left blinking as though she’d looked into the sun. Jace tapped his lip thoughtfully and then sank down into a deeply contemplative pose in his chair, presumably sorting through everything he’d just acquired.

“The  _ entire _ day?” Ral looked up from the notes he’d been reading and fixed her with a glare. “Did you not consider  _ my  _ privacy when you agreed to that?”

She shuffled her chair slightly further away from him, keeping an eye out for stray lightning. “I trust him with it.”

Ral seemed to sit and weigh up his own personal life against the good of Ravnica for a good few seconds. “...Fine,” he harrumphed. “Look, I have a letter for Novic here. Perhaps it’s best to send  _ you  _ over to Nivix-”

“She’ll arrive here shortly,” Jace said in a distracted tone, and then went back to his work, eyes aglow. Ral shot him an irked look.

“He’s not wrong,” Pavla said, “She follows you in through the secret door.”

“No privacy for me today,” he muttered. Jace reached out one hand and planted an illusion on one side of the desk - a familiar image of the stone with Ral’s observations attached to it. The Guildmage gave it a thoughtful stare. “Well, if I needed further proof that this isn’t an elaborate prank I’ve got it,” he said, “since I hadn’t shared that yet.” 

“Wow,” Marija said from the secret passageway entrance. “That thing is  _ powerful _ .”

“Nice to meet you, Assistant Researcher Novic,” Jace said, still focused on shifting through Pavla’s memories. 

Marija gave him an odd look, then shrugged it off. She spotted Pavla and waved, then froze on the steps, eyes aglow. 

“What are you  _ doing _ to my assistant?” Ral snapped, giving the desk a solid kick. 

Jace seemed unruffled. “Getting her up to speed. It’s quicker than a conversation.” 

Marija blinked a few times, then stared down at the diagram of the stone with renewed interest, taking the stairs two at a time to get close enough that she was almost inside the illusion. “Oh, this is  _ fascinating.” _

Her rapt reaction prompted a rueful smile from the Guildpact. “Just wait until you see this,” he said. With a gesture, the time machine appeared in front of them. Pavla could swear she could hear it humming gently. Ral dropped his notes. Marija audibly squeaked in excitement. 

“That is  _ glorious _ ,” she said, pure admiration lacing every word. 

“ _ That _ ,” Ral said, “coupled with the stone, might be powerful enough to push the whole city back in time.”

“Maybe that’s the plan,” Jace looked up at it thoughtfully. “There are a lot of people who would love to redo past mistakes.”

“Personal ones, yes, but not anything that requires blasting a whole city,” Ral leaned in and appraised the machine with a critical eye. “Scientists are supposed to  _ learn _ from mistakes. Not wipe them from existence. Otherwise how would anyone make any progress?”

“A fair point.” Jace sighed and rubbed his eyes. “Can you figure out how it works from this? And more importantly, how to disable it if it turns out to be a threat?” At his question Ral pulled a ball of lightning from the air and let it wind around his gauntlet meaningfully. “Safely, I mean,” Jace added. 

“So boring,” Ral tossed the electricity aside, letting it arc into the tank he’d left by the desk and walked around the time machine, scrutinising every inch of it. “If Novic gets the right gear…” He picked up the note with her name on it and cracked it open. “Alternate me had a similar idea. She’s good enough to help us pierce through the magic and shut it down. She just needs the power with her to do it.”

Behind him, Marija practically glowed at the unintentional praise. 

“That shouldn’t be a problem with your equipment and me as an extra backup,” Jace said thoughtfully. 

Ral pulled a face. “You? I don’t think I want to be seen in public with you, Beleren. It’s bad enough that I was forced to visit this place.” 

“You won’t be.” Jace gave him a smile designed to irritate. “I’ll make sure of it.”

“Hmph. Novic? Think you’re up to it?” 

Marija bounded up to Ral’s side, still staring up at the time machine. “Oh boy, I wouldn’t miss this! When else am I going to be able to tackle such a complex spell?” He handed her the note with her name on and she skimmed through it at lightning speed. “This all sounds like the gear I’d pick… I made a few adjustments to the plasmostatic load balancer recently but I think it’s solid.”

“I trust your judgement there,” he said, making her a little misty eyed, “bring everything here for pre planning and then we’ll regroup at Empty Cup Row.”

“Yesboss! As quick as I can go!” She sprinted back up the steps and down the secret corridor, steps echoing through the half open door. 

“Courier girl!” Ral sifted through his notes, pausing to inspect a rough drawing of the street layout. “Head over to the street and keep watch for us. I want to know any movements made by anyone in that lab.”

“I don’t think that will be possible,” said Jace quietly, hefting a large volume of Guild Law onto the desk. 

Ral shot him a frown. “And why’s that?” 

The Guildpact pointed at Pavla, who was fast asleep in her chair. “I’d say she’s exhausted from being awake for… at a rough guess, almost an entire day straight.”

Looking over at her, Ral’s expression softened a little, and he sighed, pushing a hand through his hair. “I suppose she’s done enough, for now.”

“She got to the exact point where she was needed to deliver this information,” Jace waved the letter Ral had thrown his way. “Not bad for a… what was the phrase… ‘plane bound pawn?’”

Ral ignored him, sorting through papers and piecing them together across the desk. He rubbed his eyes, trying to focus. 

“I can cover surveillance for now,” Jace said, “I’ll work something out.” He looked up at the floating, translucent time machine that still hovered over the desk. “Funny that it takes a potential plane-wide threat for us to work together. Why would anyone build something like this in the first place?” He smiled to himself. “Though I suppose asking the Izzet why they push things to extremes is a little pointless.” He paused and glanced across the table. Ral was sprawled back across his chair, snoring gently. Jace picked up the letter he’d been given and reread the bottom of the page. 

‘ _ I’ll probably fall asleep since I’ve been up all night looking for that conniving little bastard Krenz. Don’t wake me up until Marija gets back. Tell her to bring coffee.’  _

“Finally,” he said, looking from one sleeping Ravnican to the other. “Some peace and quiet.”

***

Pavla woke to the smell of coffee and the clanking sounds of someone tinkering with gadgetry. “Hello sleepyhead!” She blinked a few times and Marija’s overly cheerful face came into focus. “You alright? You were so deeply asleep even His Zappiness’s snoring didn’t wake you up.” A spark wrench shot very close by her head and bounced off a stack of books, accompanied by some disgruntled muttering from behind her. “You’ve been drooling,” she said with a grin, tapping the side of her mouth. Pavla shot upright in her chair, slapping a hand to her cheek. There was nothing there. Marija laughed. “Gotcha.” The courier groaned, rubbing tired eyes and tried to turn around, into the chair back.

“Leave courier girl alone and get back here,” Ral barked. “We have work to do.” Marija spun on her heel and hurried back to his side. 

Pavla rubbed her eyes and squinted across the room at a stack of mizzium and glass that hadn’t been there when she’d nodded off. “Wha-?”

“Defuser tech,” Jace filled in for her. “For when you need more mana than you can hold. Amongst other things.”

“With this much, we probably won’t need you, Beleren. What a shame,” Ral smirked, examining a smaller canister. 

Jace didn’t even blink. “You will. I’ve seen the spell through Pavla’s memories. It’s incredibly powerful and  _ that _ was only a test blast.” 

The Guildmage snorted in contempt. “We’ll just get more power. Perhaps I can connect us directly to one of the leylines.”

“You’re that determined to leave me behind that you’d waste time digging up the pavement while a maniac with a time machine could notice you and flip the switch at any moment?” Jace rubbed his eyes. “Come on Ral. It’s just once.”

“Look, just because we’ve had one... mutually beneficial arrangement… since I tried to kill you.” Ral snapped, jabbing a finger at him. Pavla raised her eyebrows. “We’re not friends or partners, you understand? Being seen with you could be dangerous. And don’t give me that smug invisibility crap - you know there are people who can see right through it.”

“Are you seriously putting your own reputation before the good of Ravnica? As you like to remind me, this city is my responsibility. I’d be shirking it if I didn’t help, and I’d come along even if you didn’t include me in the plan. We could end up at counter purposes.”

Ral didn’t look convinced. “You just want to stick your nose into my business. Remember how that ended last time? I can’t trust you, Beleren.”

“You came here for help earlier.”

“I didn’t have much choice. And it was almost pointless - you’re a terrible goblin detector.”

“ _ Serra’s breath _ , can you two just  _ stop _ ?”

They turned as one and stared at Pavla. “Excuse me?” Ral narrowed his eyes. “What exactly did you just say?”

She sighed. “I said, can you stop? We’re on a deadline here.”

He waved a finger in a rewinding gesture. “Before that.”

She shrugged. “One of Jace’s made up swears he used when I was distracting the Rakdos. I thought it sounded fun. It’s definitely from one of these books, though. I’ve never heard of a Serra.”

“It sounds stupid. Don’t say it ever again.” Ral said abruptly, turning back to a tangle of wires. 

“I liked it.” She shrugged. “It sounded like something with real meaning. Even though it has none.”

“If you go around using made up swears people will think you’re crazier than they do already.” He gave her an arch look. “So don’t.”

She looked over at Jace for support and he gave her a rueful smile. “Sorry, I only used it because I ran out of exclamations of dismay and horror. Best not to irk the mad scientist.” Pavla folded her arms and flopped back into her chair in defeat. 

“Don’t just sit around,” Ral jerked a thumb in the general direction of Empty Cup Row. “Get out there, we need eyes on the scene. No interacting with anyone though, you hear me? We don’t want them to know we’re coming.”

She sighed dramatically and heaved herself out of the chair, swiping some snacks from a plate that perched on the edge of the desk and headed out to the roof, clambering out of a high window and swinging herself up onto the roof tiles. Pumping mana into her boots - which Ral seemed to have re-powered while she was asleep - she launched herself across swathes of city, the people below hurrying back and forth, unaware of any mad tinkering with time that might be going on at her destination. 

Pavla dropped down into Empty Cup Row, hunkered down next to a convenient wall and inspected her haul from the library. Cheese, cured meat and some grapes. Not bad for a picnic breakfast. She popped a handful into her mouth and settled into a more comfortable position, chewing thoughtfully as she peered down the street. She wasn’t entirely sure what she was looking for, unless anyone ran out of the building with a portable version of that monstrously huge machine. She sighed. It was nice to be out in the open air, at least. 

_ Just keep an eye out for anyone coming in or out of that building.  _ She’d become so used to this telepathy thing that Jace’s sudden appearance in her head didn’t even make her jump.  _ We’re almost ready to head your way.  _

_ So you’re coming too? _ That argument between them hadn’t exactly resolved itself. 

_ Of course.  _

She frowned. _While I’m glad to hear that, isn’t Lavinia_ _going to come looking for you soon? She did before. _

_ Oh yes. And she’ll find me too, hard at work in the Sanctum.  _ There was a pause.  _ Though the desk illusions don’t seem to work anymore. Last time she only shouted at it for half a minute before she realised.  _

Pavla snorted, shifting her position to spy down at the building she’d spotted the machine in. It seemed quiet enough. A large spot of rain dropped onto her nose, making her look up. The sky was darkening again. She suspected a certain storm mage was making preparations.  _ Can you ask Ral to knock it off? I don’t have any cover here.  _ She pulled her cloak tight around her shoulders, anticipating a downpour. 

_ He says - “Suck it up courier girl, it’s just a bit of water.”  _ She rolled her eyes, hoping Jace could tell through the link. He laughed.  _ Don’t worry, you won’t have to wait there long. From what I’ve seen, it would be an advantage to have the weather on our side. Ral seems to draw power from it, and we need as much as we can get.  _ Pavla sat back, trying to shelter herself from the weather. It didn’t work very well. The wind was picking up now, whipping her hair around her face. It was true that every time she’d seen Ral use more than a token of his magic that the weather had changed. She just wished it hadn’t involved her getting soaked through. 

As she sat, disgruntled in the rain that was definitely coming down harder now, she saw the door to the building open and a small figure emerge.  _ Krenz! I see him. He’s heading… south.  _

_ Follow him. Carefully.  _

She nodded, slowly getting back onto her feet, and crept along the rooftop as the goblin scurried down the road. She wondered what kind of person he was to have the guts to betray someone like Ral. The idea of him as an enemy gave her chills, and not just because the rain was leaking down the back of her neck. 

She watched him dart into one of the other buildings, and heard some thumps and clanks as he rummaged around inside, reappearing with an armful of odd shaped mizzium parts. He turned back towards the lab, then suddenly dropped them all at his feet, mouth open. Marija was leaning on the wall of the building, twirling a complicated looking rod in her hands, all mizzium and glass. “Hey bud,” she said jovially. “I’ve missed having you around.” The rain started to fall harder, making Krenz suddenly look upwards, then warily back at Marija. “Yeah, so the bossman, he’s not very happy about the whole betrayal thing, as you can imagine.” She shrugged. “And now you’re thinking - there’s a storm up ahead, isn’t there. And where there’s a storm, sometimes there’s a storm mage close by.”

“I-” Krenz took a step back, bumping into Ral, who had seemingly appeared out of thin air.

“Hello, Junior Assistant Krenz,” he said darkly, making the goblin shriek in fright. Ral grabbed him as he tried to run, lifting him from the floor by the scruff of his neck so they were face to face. He flexed his gauntleted hand, lightning running across its surface. “As you can imagine,” he said leisurely, watching Krenz twist in his grasp. “I didn’t survive the rat race of the Tenth by allowing people to double cross me. In fact, the best practise seems to be to make an example of them.” He punctuated this with a crack of lightning across the sky that echoed around the abandoned buildings. 

“I didn’t” Krenz protested. “I didn’t betray you!”

“Where’s my stone, then? Are you going to tell me you hid it for safekeeping?”

“I did it for  _ you _ !” The goblin suddenly yelled. “It should have been you! That’s what you said, and I  _ remembered _ .” Ral frowned at him in confusion. “And when I had to chance to fix things, I took it. Even if it meant stealing from you. You’d understand in the end.”

“I certainly don’t understand now,” the Guildmage said, raising an eyebrow.

“The Maze! The Pact! We can redo it. It should have been  _ you _ all along. You discovered it, you organised it. All for the Guild. The Izzet were supposed to have won!”

Ral blinked. “...Redo the Maze?” Behind him, Pavla saw Jace flicker into existence, mouth open in shock. His expression switched to a wary one. Did he think Ral would do it? She didn’t know much about the running of the Maze for the Guildpact - it had all seemed worlds away from her reality. She’d gone out to another District to deliver a parcel and when she came back, everything had changed. For the Guildless, not much was different. For the Guilds, it seemed to be another story. 

“Yes, rewind everything, start again!” Krenz sagged in his grasp. “It was all for you…”

Ral suddenly seemed interested. “Your machine is powerful enough to rewind time that far? For the entirety of Ravnica? We could rerun the whole thing?” 

“Yes! That is what we built it for. The stone was the final piece required - all other power was...insufficient.” Krenz looked up at him, eyes shining. “Now that you are here, you can take your place as Guildpact in a new Ravnica! Remove Beleren, the interferer. Then you can win!”

Jace was staring at Ral’s back, motionless. She wondered if he was torn between waiting to see what happened next and trying to delve into his mind right now to find out what he was thinking, at the risk of starting a fight. While the two of them had cooperated to get this far, there seemed to be no love lost, especially on Ral’s side. Time stretched out in the empty streets, the only sound the storm overhead.

An odd noise cut across the silence. Ral was laughing. Shoulder shaking, he dropped the goblin carefully back at ground level, squatting down to be eye level with him. “Oh, Krenz,” he said, patting a hand familiarly on the goblins head. “My loyal assistant.” The goblin beamed up at him. “You absolute... idiot.”

“What?” Krenz frowned in consternation.

Ral straightened up, giving the rain clouds a thoughtful stare, and sighed. “Beleren was never the reason we didn’t win,” he said. “And as annoying as it is to admit it when he’s right behind me, he stopped some particularly nasty machinations from quite literally tearing the city apart. Entirely by accident, I suspect.” He gave Jace a sly look. “I doubt he’ll confirm or deny that last part for me, though.”

“But… you always said… you said it was  _ his fault _ .”

Ral shrugged. “People say a lot of things when they’re angry.  _ Clever  _ people rethink things later on, though. Novic!” She stepped up, swinging the heavy rod right into the back of Krenz’s head. The goblin folded up neatly on the ground. Ral chuckled. “Did I have you going there, Beleren?” He grinned back at the Guildpact. “Did you think I was going to say yes?”

Jace frowned at him warily. “You still could.”

“I’ve seen how much paperwork you have. I’m not a fool. Lets go.” Ral grabbed a canister full of lightning from Marija’s waiting hands, slung it over his shoulder and strode off down the street. Pavla dropped down next to the Guildpact who was watching him go, a look of consternation written across his face. 

“I’m honestly not sure what to think,” he said. “I wish he’d explained his logic a little more. It can’t just be the paperwork.”

“His Sparkiness always does what’s best for the Guild and Ravnica,” Marija said, placing another canister into his hands. “Well, and himself, too, of course.” She grinned. “Maybe try trusting him a bit more?”

“Easy to say when you know exactly what it is that he considers ‘best.’” Jace sighed. “Not that long ago, it was my smoking corpse. He made that very clear at the time.”

She clapped a hand on his shoulder, making him flinch. “Looks like he’s changed his mind then. Come on. We need to stop that test wave.” She bundled two small canisters into Pavla’s arms and hurried off after Ral. 

Pavla peered around at his face. He seemed deep in thought, with a generous amount of worry in the mix. “You don’t like not knowing things, huh?” she said. 

Jace gave her a sidelong look. “It’s not an ideal situation, I’ll admit.” He pulled his hood up, concealing his expression. “Let’s get going, before Ral changes his mind.”

***

They caught up to the two Guildmages setting up a ring of equipment around their feet and added their canisters to the pile. On the way, Jace had slipped back into invisibility, though Pavla could feel his presence alongside her. He was silent, and she was sure he was still brooding over what had happened. Ral turned and frowned. “Beleren, you’re still with us, right?”

_ Of course.  _

“Good. Stop worrying about what my rogue assistant was yammering about and focus on the task at hand. I don’t allow for slacking amongst my assistants.” He turned back to the canisters, hooking several together with a burst of fizzing power as each cable clicked into place. 

_ I’m an assistant now?  _ There was a tinge of amusement there. 

Pavla leaned over. “Probably a temporary deputised one like me. You lost your chance to negotiate pay, though.”

“Exactly. Explain how it works to him, Junior Assistant Kozav.” Ral commanded. 

“It means you do exactly what he says,” she said. Ral flourished a thumbs up. “If he says duck, you throw yourself on the floor. If he says put that down, it’s dangerous, you put it down.”

“Good memory, this one,” Ral said aside to Marija, who was busy adjusting the strange rod she was carrying. “And if I say prepare to combat an overwhelmingly powerful time wave…”

There was a pressure in the air, as if reality was being sucked out of the world. “It’s coming!” Pavla made a guess and grabbed out at Jace, pulling him by the arm into the circle of gadgetry, invisibility shattering around him. 

“Alright Novic, show the juniors how it’s done!” Ral barked over the wind that whipped through the street, scarf fluttering like a pennant behind him. 

“YESBOSS.” Pavla watched in amazement as Marija transformed from her quirky, playful self into full Izzet. She threw a switch on the gadgetry she’d been carrying on her back, and the canisters hummed to life, lightning leaping from one to the other. Slamming the rod down in front of her, she grinned as her magic rushed up around them, a brilliant mix of blue and scarlet sparks, spiralling into circle after circle, ringed with complex symbols. 

The time wave crashed into them like a physical force, shattering the outer spells as it hit. Marija gritted her teeth and pushed back, magic pouring out of the canisters around her, the end of the rod shining a brilliant white. More glowing circles sprang up around them, turning slowly as they materialised. “I’m not going to be beaten by a bloody  _ test wave _ ,” she snapped, draining the last of the power from around them. One canister melted. Another imploded. The Guildmage fell to her knees as the wave shattered more of her countermagic, pressing in on them. 

Ral narrowed his eyes, then reached out a hand to grab the defusers rod that still stood tall against the spell. Lightning surged across his body, filling the rod with a blinding light, crackling across the surface of the mizzium. Jace stepped up to do the same, the soft glow of his magic mirrored in his eyes. The two mages shared a glance over Marija’s bowed head, then nodded as one and  _ pushed.  _ The circles of magic flared, exploding outwards like fireworks, taking the time wave with them. 

Marija collapsed backwards, the rod slipping from her fingers and clattering down onto the cobblestones with a clang. Pavla caught her before she hit the ground. “Are you alright?” She wasn’t exactly sure how you check that a mage hadn’t magically hurt themselves. Unless they weren’t breathing. 

The Guildmages eyes snapped open and she grinned up at her. “I did it! We did it!” She leapt to her feet, leaving Pavla staring at her hands. Marija spun and jabbed a finger at the sky. “Take  _ that _ you dumb spell. No one beats me.” She looked sidelong at Ral who was watching her in wry amusement, and quickly bowed her head. “I’m sorry I couldn’t handle it alone, boss. That’s embarrassing.”

He sighed. “Novic, I brought you along for your skill in unpicking spells, not an ability to channel half the cities power supply.” She looked up at him, eyes alight. “You did a fine job.” 

She clasped her hands happily, bouncing in delight. “Thanks bossman!” 

He looked away down the street. “I think I’ll have to file some bad feedback about you though.” Her face dropped; his tone was serious. “Can’t have anyone trying to poach you for themselves. That would be damned inconvenient.” He waved a hand at the wrecked circle of gear. “Forget that mess for now. Let’s find out what’s actually going on.” With that, he strode back off down the street, Marija leaping to attention and hurrying after him, picking up the rod as she went, a grin plastered across her face. 

Pavla exchanged a look with Jace, who shrugged, and the two of them ran to catch up. Now the time spell had passed, the storm overhead was picking up again, large drops of rain splashing down around them. As they neared the lab that housed the monstrous time machine, Jace beckoned her to the side. 

“My instincts are saying we should stay hidden. This is Izzet business for now. If it comes to a fight, we don’t want them knowing we’re here.”

“Novic, you’ll be going with them.” Ral said, raising an imperious finger.

“Oh, what?” Marija looked unimpressed.

He gave her a significant look. “If things don’t get resolved politely, I’ll need space to work.” Pavla watched her expression switch from a frown to excitement, hand flying to her mouth. “And you’ll need to get that stone out of the machine.”

“Absolutely!” She threw a wild looking salute, eyes shining. “I’ll get it if things go sour.”

“Whatever it takes. We can’t let them keep it.” He ran a hand through his hair, static crackling between his fingers, and eyed the door to the lab ahead. “Now get moving.”

She raced over to Pavla and Jace, grabbing the courier by the arm and dragging them into a nearby building for cover. “This is going to be  _ great _ . I hope they resist.”

“What?” Pavla said, but was shushed by the other girl as Ral approached the doorway. There was a very solid looking wooden door that seemed out of place in the residential area - it must have been replaced at some point when the lab was being installed. He tilted his head, giving it an appraising look, then raised his hand. With a flick of his wrist, a bright flash leapt across the street and the door exploded into pieces. Pavla’s mouth dropped.

“This is definitely  _ Izzet  _ diplomacy,” Jace said in a low voice. She couldn’t tell if he was being serious.

A disheveled looking man stuck his head out of the building - a few decades older than Ral, hair streaked almost entirely white and standing up at odd angles. He stared down at the wreckage of the door, then up at the other Guildmage.

“Marko Vorin, I presume,” Ral said leisurely, “So glad to see you’re in. I believe you have something that belongs to me.” Lightning wound its way around his gauntlet as he spoke, sparking at his fingertips.

The other man gave him an irked frown. “If you’re after your assistant, he just left.”

“I think you know I mean my stone. The one my idiot assistant took from me. I want it back.”

Marko smiled. “Youngster,” he said in a condescending tone, “it doesn’t matter what you want. Soon the world will be rewritten, everything changed to the way it should be. You won’t even remember you had it.” He drew himself up tall, staring down his nose at Ral. “Our guild can rise once more to the top! No damnable Living Guildpact telling us what we can and cannot do. The utter impudence of it. What right does some hooded youth from who knows where have to dictate our laws?”

Ral chuckled to himself. “Incredible. Someone who likes you even less than me, Beleren.” Watching from a broken window, Jace sighed and rubbed his eyes wearily. 

“What?” Vorin frowned at Ral, who gave him his sunniest smile. 

“Just thinking to myself. So you truly wish to use that machine to rewrite history?”

“Of course. We’ll rerun the maze and do it properly, so the power rests with our guild. Restore our old glory! And I won’t allow you to make a mess of it this time.”

“...Excuse me?” Ral’s demeanour shifted from his usual cocky confidence to something more serious. 

“You heard me. It’s common knowledge that you failed in your task to research the Maze and use its power for the Izzet. After all that pomp and ceremony a complete outsider took the position of Guildpact! Quite possibly the greatest failure in the history of our guild.” The old man was red in the face now, jabbing a finger at Ral. “Clearly this task shouldn’t have been given to a puffed up rain mage with an inflated sense of his own abilities.”

Next to Pavla, Marija tensed. Ral went very still for a moment, then smiled grimly to himself. “Well then,” he said coolly, “let’s see what this  _ rain mage _ can do, hm?” Overhead, the clouds swirled, the wind whipping up around them. 

Marija vibrated in excitement. “Oh, I love it when he gets serious. Just you wait. It’s been so long since the last time.” Her eyes shone as she squeezed Pavla’s arm with glee. “Nothing can stop my boss when he really goes for it. No one can rival him in sheer power…” she trailed off, looking abashed. “Is it weird that I get excited about that?”

Pavla fumbled for words, feeling her face heating. “No...no. It’s…um, kind of cute, actually.” Beside them, Jace coughed quietly, and they snapped back to watching what was unfolding on the street. 

Pavla had been on the receiving end of Ral’s handiwork when he’d trained her to use her new gear, but it only took a glance for her to realise now that he’d been holding back. The sky was  _ black _ . Not the grey that she’d become accustomed to in her rooftop forays, but a darkness that was halfway to night. The rain began to lash down, hammering on the broken rooftops and splashing across the cobblestones. Ral raised his arms, lightning slamming down from the sky to meet them, the tank on his back shining blindingly bright. He looked up at Marko and grinned, the electricity that danced around his hands throwing his expression into a sinister light. The old Guildmage’s eyes widened and he ducked back inside the buildings, yelling, “ _ Tomas!” _

A young, round faced man in Izzet colours appeared at the door in time for Ral’s first strike. Lightning arced across the street to the doorway, hitting a magical shield that was hastily raised by the newcomer. 

“ _ Oh, _ I know him! He’s a defuser like me!” Marija said, “This will make things more interesting!”

“You think he stands a chance against Ral?” Jace said curiously. 

“Absolutely not. But I’ll get to see His Sparkiness at full power a bit longer.” She grinned. “Poor Tomas.” Overhead the storm  _ howled,  _ lightning crashing down around the dilapidated houses. The windows above them shattered, and a chimney smashed onto the street a few feet away. 

“Well, the plan  _ was _ to ask nicely, and then if that didn’t work, sneak in and take the stone back anyway. Ral is certainly serving as a good distraction,” Jace said wryly. “So we’d better get going.”

“Out into  _ that _ ?” Pavla stared at the weather in horror. “I’ll get soaked through, if I’m lucky. And fried if I’m not.”

“I’m sure Marija can deal with the lightning.” The defuser nodded happily. “It’s not like he’s aiming for us. This time.” Those last words were muttered under his breath. “We just need to get in there before they have a chance to-“ There was a rumble, felt through the ground even through the sound of the storm. The top of the lab exploded outwards, a ray of magical light shooting up into the sky. “-turn the damn thing on. Come on!” Jace ran out into the storm, Marija following, grabbing Pavla by the hand as she went.

Pulled out into the storm, she was soaked through within seconds, rain seeping down her neck and making her clothing stick to her skin uncomfortably. “Does he  _ have _ to make it rain so hard?” she complained loudly to Marija, who grinned back at her. 

“I think he did it out of spite. No one calls my boss a  _ rain mage _ within his hearing. Hold up!” She pulled both of them in close and in one fluid motion swung her defuser’s rod upwards, deflecting a stray bolt of lightning and neatly redirecting it to smash into Tomas’s shield. He glanced over at them and stared at her.

“Marija?” he yelled. She gave him a little wave. “Isn’t he your boss? Can you ask him to knock it off?” She shrugged exaggeratedly and ran off towards the other side of the street, trailing the other two behind her. 

“Eyes on me, lackey!” Ral shouted over the wind, and Tomas’ desperate pleas were drowned out by the loudest thunderclap Pavla had ever heard as lightning rained down on the houses in front of them. Glass shattered, roofs exploded into a shower of tiles and brickwork turned to rubble in seconds. Instinctively she ducked, and found herself curled up next to Jace, who’d had similar reflexes. They both looked up at Marija, who was standing untouched in the chaos with a huge smile plastered across her face. 

“Isn’t it  _ glorious? _ ” she said happily. Pavla followed her gaze to Ral, hovering in midair, a storm personified. The wind tore at his clothing, his eyes shining an inhuman glow, lightning wreathing his body in a stream of power. She tore her eyes away and looked at Jace, who looked like he was reliving a painful memory all of a sudden.

“We need to move, right?” she said. He nodded, and they dragged Marija away from her rapt appreciation of Ral’s destructive behaviour. Pavla looked from the wreck of rubble left by the strike and the lab building, still standing. “Did he mean to leave it alone? Was that a warning shot?”

Jace sidled up to the exposed wall and carefully put a bare hand against it, his skin aglow with magic. He turned to look at them, sparks trailing from his eyes. “The whole building is warded.”

“What?” Marija dived forward, slamming both her hands against the brickwork. Her magic raced across the surface, leaving swirling patterns in the air. “Ugh, so  _ that’s _ why Tomas was here. He’s not there to stop things going wrong, he was laying down protection.”

“Once the machine is on, it’s hard to miss. I imagine the lawkeeping guilds are mobilising right now.” They looked up as one. The beacon of light that pierced the clouds was glaringly bright, but as their eyes adjusted it was possible to see patterns of magic forming a kind of vortex. Jace sighed. “If we don’t stop it quickly, either things get incredibly messy here, or he succeeds and, well,” he pulled a face. “I can't help but think that the best way to stop me interfering with the Maze is to stop me existing altogether. I’m quite persistent like that.”

“Don’t give people ideas!” Pavla hissed at him, prompting a quiet smile.

“We can break through his enchantments,” Marija frowned at her hands, magic still spiralling across the brickwork. “I just don’t know how long we have to do so. He’s layered them pretty cleverly on purpose to buy the machine extra time. It’s going to be a pain.”

“Aren’t there any gaps?” Pavla squinted at the wall, unable to perceive any magic in place. “What about the front door? He opened that.”

They shared a glance and ran to peer around the corner. Tomas was gone, the door shut fast, battered by a stream of lightning. Ral shot them an electrically charged glare. “What are you  _ doing? _ Get that damned stone!”

They ducked back around the side. Jace grimaced. “If those defenses are strong enough to withstand Ral’s constant assault then I doubt we’d get through in time.”

“Couldn’t stop the machine, though,” Pavla said, gazing up at the vortex of light that hung over their heads. “Smashed right through the roof.” Her jaw suddenly dropped as a thought occurred. “Does that mean it broke the wards on its way out?”

Marija snorted. “Even work this intricate couldn’t stop something that powerful. I mean, it’s basically running off infinite mana.”

“So we could get into the lab from the roof! I mean,  _ I _ could!” Pavla waved a booted foot at her. “Getting that high is easy for me.”

“Are you kidding? You’d be heading right into an unknown, probably unstable magical vortex!” the Guildmage exclaimed. 

Jace looked pensive all of a sudden. Pavla turned to him. “Would it work?”

“The roof could be our only way in,” he said, brows knitted in deep thought. 

“That doesn’t mean Pavla needs to jump right in there! Out of all of us, she has the least to lose!” She grabbed the courier’s arms and squeezed them tight. “You don’t have a Guild to protect, the Guildpact means nothing to you - you have no stake in this! You don’t need to put yourself in danger.”

“That’s not…  _ entirely  _ true,” Jace said. “I didn’t become Guildpact for fun, you know. We don’t talk about what happened at the end of the maze, but… if you remove me as a factor, and there’s no one else who can unite the guilds, things could end very badly indeed.”

“How badly?” Pavla and Marija said in unison.

”Explosively badly.” He grimaced at the memory. “The failsafe put in by Azor meant total annihilation for Ravnica if the guild representatives could not agree. And someone was playing them against each other the entire time. Marko cannot have known that. If he forces a rerun of the maze, it will end thousands of lives.”

“Including all of yours. And mine.” Pavla made up her mind. “I’m going. If it gives us a chance, I’ll do it.”

“It’s not enough to just get inside, though,” Jace said, “you need to know you can disrupt the spell once you’re there.”

Marija sighed, then pulled a small piece of gadgetry from her belt, placing it carefully in Pavla’s hands. “Take this. It’s a spell damper. It cuts off mana supply for an instant, like an anti magic bomb.”

“Will that work on the time machine?” Pavla peered down at it. It looked very small. 

“No, but it should work on the warding. From the inside it’s much less stable. Slap this on the door, hit the button to set it off, and we can get inside.” Marija looked troubled. “You just have to survive long enough to do so.”

“I can help with that,” Jace reached a hand out. Magic flared bright, making her squeeze her eyes tight shut. “I’ve given you every mental ward I know,” he said as the light faded from his eyes. “But without me there to maintain them, I don’t know how they’ll hold up. It should at least buy you some time.” The ground below them shook once more, the machine inside the lab emitting an otherworldly whine. 

“Right. I’m going.” She tucked the damper safely into her belt pouch and eyed the rubble of the adjacent building. It was enough to give her a leg up for the jump. 

“Wait,” Marija grabbed her hand and pulled her into a quick hug. “Don’t you die on me, side project Pavla,” she said quietly in her ear. “You promised me we’d go for coffee, remember?”

Pavla smiled, “I’ll see you soon,” she said, ran up the pile of debris stacked up next to the lab and  _ leapt _ . 


	11. Just In Time

The storm raged. Up high, Pavla was battered by wind and lashed by rain as she soared towards the time vortex. For a second, she was gripped by uncertainty. Was she insane? Did she think that she, a girl who was just rather good at running along rooftops, could stop such an overwhelmingly powerful spell? Glancing down she saw Jace and Marija staring up at her. If they believed it was worth a chance… and she might be their only one... She’d survived the Undercity, fought assassins and a Rakdos Bloodwitch, and gone back through time. She could do this. Filled with determination, she gave the boots another boost of power, hurtling towards the blinding light.

The magic washed over her, icy cold. The storm couldn’t seem to pierce the vortex - inside it was an eerie calm as she fell downwards through the spell, an unnatural breeze making her cape flutter and her hair float around her ears. Tendrils of light followed her down, wrapping their way around her. The world shifted.

_ She was a goblin girl, haring off down the marketplace streets away from the guards who chased her, clutching her stolen prize of bread in her hands. _

_ _ _ He was flying high over Sunholme, his roc spreading its wings wide over the city as they patrolled the skies. He worried quietly about his daughter, sick at home, and whether his pay would cover a healer. _

_ _ _ The preparations were almost complete - tonight they’d put on the greatest show that the crowd had ever seen. She snapped commands at the others who hurried around her, striding across the stage, looking out across the empty tables that would soon be packed full of bodies. Some of them might even leave in one piece. _

_ _ The lives came streaming into her mind, faster and faster. She was only just aware that she was clutching her head in her hands as she fell.

_ Laughing, she grabbed his hand and pulled him through the shelves that reached far, far up into the arching ceiling. In this moment, she felt like anything was possible. _

_ Sitting on the cobblestones down a quiet alleyway, he reached his hands out, feeling the rain patter down onto his skin. What was the point in a gift that left him shunned? _

_ _ _ She looked in the mirror, adjusting her cloak pin with long, blue fingers. It was her first day on the job, and any uniform discrepancies would definitely not be overlooked. _

_ _ _ Sitting deep in the gardens, they ran a hand across one of the nearby branches, prompting new growth to sprout beneath their fingers. It was a simple moment, peaceful and gentle. They could only wish that every moment was like this one. _

_ _ _ Slipping quietly through the dark house, the two of them ducked into an alcove as some guards approached. Once the coast was clear, he exchanged a glance with his comrade, who shrugged- _

_ _ Pavla jerked out of her reverie - that had been Berrim! She’d recognised him, clear as day. But he’d had a sword at his hip, and was dressed in fighting leathers. Had it really been him? The light washed back across her vision, images racing across her mind.

_ She was weeping, harder than she’d ever done before. _

_ _ _ He slammed a fist on the desk, rage clouding his thoughts. _

_ _ _ The lab was quiet as he sat in the middle of the table, mizzium parts spread all around him. He picked up a cog. _

_ _ _ A flash of pain, her vision going dark. _

_ _ _ Sharp light glinting from a knife. _

_ _ _ A quiet moment, deep in the Undercity. _

_ _ _ A scream echoing around the streets as he hurried home. _

_ _ _ Joy. _

_ _ _ Pain. _

_ _ _ Fear. _

_ _ A voice, echoing inside her head.  _ Pavla! All of the wards have failed. Your only chance is to stay centred on your identity. Don’t let the magic overwhelm your mind. _

_ _ Her eyes snapped open again, the vortex of magic rushing past them.  _ Jace? _

_ _ _ I’m losing the link- _ Before her eyes, the shining crystal pendant around her neck shattered, tiny pieces whirling away into the strange wind.

_ Jace? Jace! _ She raised a hand to her face, feeling dampness across her cheeks. Her eyes were clouded with tears. Memories that didn’t belong to her spun inside her mind, all crying to be heard, welling up like the roar of the storm outside. She fell, pulled back into the noise.

_ He held out his hands, catching his daughter when she cleared the jump and spinning her up high in his arms. The sun was setting behind them, tinging everything with a golden glow. _

_ _ _ She wound her way through the crowded marketplace, slipping purses from pockets with practised ease. _

_ _ _ The mist was thick tonight, making it hard to see- _

_ _ _ -wove flowers together to make a circlet for their hair- _

_ _ _ -he took off his glasses, rubbing tired eyes, and closed the book- _

_ _ _ -ran, her life depended on it- _

_ _ _ -deep in Zonot five, they sat and stared out through the water, strange creatures swimming by- _

_ _ _ -she was falling- _

_ _ She was falling. 

Pavla landed hard on the ground, the impact snapping her mind back to the present. Her head ached, her eyes stung. She pushed herself upright. She’d made it into the lab building. The time machine was warping her perception. One second, people were all around her, walking, talking, living life, dying, the next the room was a jumble of Izzet machinery and wiring. Reality flickered. She pulled the damper from her belt, shaking her head to try to clear it and stumbled towards the door.

_ -down in the shadowy depths, a hooded man changed shape before her eyes- _

_ _ _ -the cathedral was all golden opulence as they strode through it, robes flowing behind them- _

She reached out her hand.

_ -he patted her on the head, turning towards the door, courier’s bag slung across his back- _

_ _ Pavla stumbled. “Pa-” she croaked. “Don’t take the market route. There’s a riot-”

_ _ _ -she took the bread from the oven, tapping each one to check the crust- _

_ _ _ -the head of the statue came off with a satisfying crunching noise. He hefted his club and grinned- _

_ _ _ -held him in his arms, grief overcoming him- _

_ _ She gasped and finally reached the door, hitting the damper against it as hard as she could, a wave of Marija’s magic pulsing from it, sparks flying. The door exploded inwards, the other three running into the lab. 

“Did you have to wreck the building?” Jace glanced around the room, taking everything in as quickly as possible. “Damn it. How do we turn it off?”

“I’ve got it!” Marija said, and before anyone could stop her, swung her defusers rod as hard as she could at the mizzium mount around the stone. There was an explosion of light, the sound of something heavy hitting the floor, and the machine powered down.

Ral ran a hand through his hair, frowning down at the now defunct machine. “Well. Removing the power source certainly was an option,” he said, perhaps a little peeved that he hadn’t been the one who got to do it.

Marija looked ruefully down at her now half-melted rod, then dropped it with a clang to run over to Pavla. The courier was half conscious, eyes flickering with residual magic. “Hold on,” she said urgently, running a hand across Pavla’s forehead, dispelling the time machine’s influence. “You promised me you’d survive this, side project Pavla. You’ve got to.”

Jace knelt down to peer at her. “The spell... It connected her to so many people’s timelines as she touched it.”

“But she’ll be alright, won’t she?” Marija hugged her tightly. “She has to be.” 

Pavla’s eyes opened slowly. She stared at Jace, tears suddenly welling up in her eyes. She reached out and grabbed his hand. “He wouldn’t stop. The mana blade. He just… wouldn’t  _ stop _ .” He jerked away reflexively and stared at her, unnerved.

Ral walked up to them. “What’s going on?” he demanded.

She switched her gaze to him, pushing herself to her feet and staring up at him, eyes red rimmed and unfocused. “A broken heart and a betrayal hurts more than any knife wound could,” she said quietly, tears tracking down her cheeks. 

Ral’s eye twitched. “Beleren!” he barked, pushing her away. “Fix this!”

The Guildpact seemed preoccupied, running a hand down his forearm. “Right, yes.”

Pavla tilted her head, eyes still wide, fixed on Ral. “So many years, surrounded by others, but always alone.”

“Beleren!” Ral spun Pavla around and shoved her in his direction. Marija caught her gently, concern painted across her face. 

“Pavla?”

The courier brought her hands slowly upward and cupped Marija’s face gently. “Our little girl,” she said faintly. “So much joy when you were born.”

Marija smiled sadly. “You saw back that far?”

Pavla’s hands dropped to her sides. “So much joy,” she whispered. “So much pain. So much grief.” Her knees gave way, Marija catching her as she dropped to the floor. Her head was swimming in memories. She bounced from life to life, her own existence lost. 

_ Pavla.  _ She could feel a reassuring hand laid on her head, a familiar voice in her mind.  _ We’ll fix this. Hold on to who you are.  _

_ I don’t know.  _ She felt fear grip her, thousands of moments of terror grasping at her, pulling her towards them, begging to be heard. 

_ I think you do.  _ The fog began to clear. Memories returning, Pavla opened her eyes slowly. Jace was knelt in front of her, the glow of magic fading from his eyes. “All those extra memories will fade,” he said, “like dreams upon waking.” She blinked. It was already hard to hold onto the things that had seemed so real a moment ago, details slipping away. 

“I… saw so many things,” she said slowly. “Not just people. There were… strange places. A forest that went on for miles, with no people. A city with odd buildings. Gigantic rings full of power…” she trailed off. He smiled. 

“I’d imagine you saw old Ravnica. It had to be wild once. And it certainly never always looked this way.”

She frowned, unsure that this was right, but unable to hold on to why, the memory of those places gone. Marija pulled her to her feet, and they turned as one to look around the lab. 

“Oh dear,” the guildmage said, pointing down at a small pile of dirt on the floor. “Poor old Marko got temporal backlash right to the face.”

“What a bloody mess,” Ral was in one corner, peering down at Tomas, who seemed frozen in place, curled up on the floor. “They were so obsessed with warding the building, he didn’t protect his own head.” He sighed. “Death by insanity. Is that a thing?”

“If his mind shut down or forgot to breathe, certainly.” Jace said offhand, poking a foot through some of the debris. 

Pavla stared at him. His reply seemed far too nonchalant. “Can  _ you  _ do that?”

He raised an amused eyebrow. “You can stab me with that  _ knife _ , but you choose not to. What a question.”

She shuffled her feet. “Sorry. Didn’t think about it that way.”

“Do you know everything you’re capable of?” Marija interjected, popping up from behind a stack of mizzium parts stacked next to him. “Would you consider… letting me study your magic?” She shot him a winningly large grin.

“Absolutely not,” he said with a smile. “Ral? I hope you have a good explanation for this whole mess.”

“What? Why?” Ral said, pulling part of the machine from its frame with a clank. Jace merely gestured outside, and vanished from sight. “What the-” 

There was a rush of wind, blowing the drizzle left over from the storm across the street and into the wrecked building, and a huge shadow descended upon Empty Cup Row. Pavla peered out of a ruined window, jaw dropping at the sight of Niv-Mizzet landing in the rubble. The dragon was gigantic, scales gleaming in the grey weather, all glory and intimidation. “Guildmage Zarek.” His voice seemed to vibrate through her chest. She fought the urge to run out and bow.

Ral sighed, “Of course the old lizard saw this whole catastrophe,” he said under his breath, brushed some of the dust from his clothes and headed out to the street, Marija hesitantly tagging along. Bothering the Guildpact didn’t scare her, but her  _ Parun _ was another matter entirely.

The dragon lowered his head to look Ral in the eye, blowing smoke in his face. “Explain,” he said abruptly.

“We discovered an unauthorised experiment and did our best to contain it, Firemind,” he said smoothly. “There were a few casualties but we stopped the machine before it did any permanent damage.”

“Damage?” The dragon wasn’t allowing him to get away with skipping details. Pavla was reminded of Ral grilling her about the time skip. Perhaps he’d picked some habits up, reporting to his Guildmaster.

“To the past. Vorin was trying to rewrite history.” Ral shifted uncomfortably, loathe to touch upon the subject. “Recent history. The Implicit Maze.”

“Ah. And knowing this, how did you know that this was truly unauthorised?” 

Ral looked up into the dragon’s golden eyes. He smelled a test. “I do not believe that you’d sanction such a thing, knowing how the Maze worked. Reversing events and trying again has too many uncontrollable variables. It would be far better to find a way to conduct research into transferring the Guildpact enchantment in future should the need arise. When Beleren wants to retire to a little farm out in the Red Wastes, perhaps.”

Niv-Mizzet snorted acknowledgement, raising his head back up high. “Guildpact,” he said, “Is it common practise for you to hide from  _ Paruns _ ?”

Jace popped into existence next to Marija. “Just staying out of the way of Izzet business, Firemind.”

Niv-Mizzet regarded them all with interest. “A surprising little group of collaborators, considering your history.”

“I didn’t give them much choice, Firemind.” Jace said honestly. “I would have been involved either way.”

Ral clicked his tongue irritably, arms folded. He’d seemed to forget that Jace wasn’t a friend when they were working together, but his usual irritation at his presence was back in full force - and probably a little exaggerated for the dragon, Pavla thought.

“Very well. I expect a full report on this by the end of the day, with details on how this machine was constructed and powered. Such a strong surge in magic didn’t affect our generators. A curious thing indeed.” To his credit, Ral didn’t even blink at this, merely nodding his head in acknowledgement. Niv-Mizzet flared his wings wide and muscles rippled under scales as he leapt skywards, the blast of wind sending the humans staggering, Jace’s cloak streaming behind him. 

Marija coughed. “Well boss,” she said, “that was unfortunate.”

“Hm.” Ral rubbed his chin, frowning at the wrecked building. “Yes. Especially since you’ll have to work overtime to help record everything.”

She gaped at him. “What?”

“I’m down on reliable assistants, Novic. You’d better get cracking.” He looked across the street, where Krenz was staring at the rubble of the lab. “Oh, look. At least you’ll have help.  _ Junior Assistant Krenz!” _ The goblin snapped to attention, running over and saluting in a panic. “Fetch the analysis kit, and do it quickly, if you want me to even consider allowing you to keep breathing.”

Krenz saluted again, slapping himself in the eye with his own hand. “Yessir!” 

Ral watched him hare off down the street and sighed. “Useful little bastard. I’ll probably have to get him reassigned for my own peace of mind, though.” He turned his gaze to Pavla, who shrank behind Jace in a sad attempt at avoiding being given a task.

“We’ll be off then,” The Guildpact said breezily. “I wouldn’t want to distract you.”

There was a silence that stretched out as Ral gave this some consideration, eyes narrowed. He shrugged. “Fine. I suppose courier girl dropped through time a few too many times recently for me to use her as a reliable assistant.” He jabbed a warning finger at Pavla’s happy reaction. “I won’t forget that you still have all my gear though. Don’t think you can just walk off and keep it.”

She stepped away from his fingertip and nodded furiously. “Got it.” Marija gave her a sad little wave from the ruined lab, which Pavla returned before turning to run down Empty Cup Row to catch up with Jace. “So…” she said thoughtfully.

“Go on then,” he said. “Speak your mind, as you’re wont to do.”

She looked up at the sky, which was clearing up overhead, the sun peeking through the clouds. “Are you really alright with them clearing that lab for the Firemind? Won’t they have to take the stone to him?”

“Stone?”

“You know, that power stone that caused all this mess.”

He pulled his hood down to cast his face in further shadow and smiled. “What makes you think they’ll find something like that there?”

She gave him a sidelong look, comprehension dawning. “I guess there’s a chance it vanished in all the chaos. It could have exploded or consumed itself. Probably would be for the best.”

“I couldn’t agree more.” He turned and gave her an unguarded smile that reminded her strongly of her time wandering the city with Berrim. “Why don’t we get something to eat? How about one of those nice little restaurants down off Tin Street?”

“Oh! The one near Orzhova that does all the little dishes! They’re so cute!” She paused, grimacing. “And pricy.” She’d been distracted by her quest, running through more zinos than she’d expected to. Rent was coming up soon, too.

He shrugged. “I’ll claim it as expenses. Even Lavinia can’t argue with rewarding world-saving heroics.” They stepped out into Tin Street, the crowd swallowing them in an instant. Pavla smiled, enjoying the chaos around her of merchants hawking their wares, children weaving between the legs of beleaguered parents and locals haggling a good deal. She’d never remember those borrowed memories of how Ravnica used to be, but she was glad that she was in her city, here and now. Up ahead, the clouds raced across the sky. It was a perfect market day.

_ No drifting off now,  _ Jace’s voice said in her mind. She grinned and hurried to catch up with him.

***

The knock on the door made her jump. Pavla jerked upright from her chair, dropping the Ivan Rezak book on the floor. She’d finished the borrowed one, returning it carefully to the Chamber, entering via the window, much to Lavinia’s dismay. This time Ivan was up against a shadowy organisation that orchestrated kidnappings. She was sure he’d win in the end, but found herself sucked into the story all the same.

Dropping her blankets she shuffled to the door, expecting one of her mother’s friends outside. When she opened it, Marija was standing down at the bottom of the steps, looking sheepish. 

“Erm…” she said, fiddling with her gloves. “I finally got a day off and I wondered if you would still consider that coffee?”

Pavla suddenly became aware of her disheveled appearance, and quickly ran a hand through her hair in an attempt to tame it. “Sure! When?”

“Now?” She was subjected to a winning smile, and couldn’t help but laugh.

“Let me get my stuff,” she said, dashing back inside and pulling on her jacket and boots - still covered in mizzium. Ral had allowed her to keep their augmentations, so long as she ran him a free errand five times a week. So far it had been five days in a row delivering coffee. She splashed water on her face and tried to flatten her unruly hair as quickly as she could, then ran back out to the door into the sunshine. 

It was going to be a good day

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading Pavla’s adventures! This has been my love letter to Ravnica <3 
> 
> She will definitely return if I get a good idea for more shenanigans...


End file.
